Afloat in the Water
by Hawkeye329
Summary: Ronin finds a mysterious man floating in a river behind the Urahara shop and finds out he is a ninja from the leaf village. But the Soul Society learns of him as well and they will stop at nothing to attain his strange powers. kakaxoc COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Afloat in the Water

A/N: This takes place right after Sasuke disappears, simply because I didn't feel like writing him into the story at the time. Enjoy!

Chapter One

"Naruto, Sakura, get out of here!" He shouted to the two shinobi in front of him as fear wracked their bodies and they froze. Blood was running down his brow and his sharingan was swirling wildly as he fought to protect his students and his village that was under attack. He felt his eye contract and he jumped up and grabbed the genin, protecting them from nearby shuriken and explosions that came simultaneously. Rocks, glass, and other debris flew violently through the air and a dirty fog began to roll through the warzone of what was once the peaceful village of Konohagakure.

"Kakashi-sensei!" The blonde boy looked at him with his big blue eyes, worry splashed across his face. Kakashi winced and pulled the three of them up from the ground to continue moving. He felt his eyes growing heavy. _My chakra is already low…this isn't good._

"Naruto, you and Sakura need to get out of here. I'll be following behind you…No questions, now GO!" Sakura's short pink hair covered her dirty face as she grabbed Naruto by the arm and hauled him off with her in a run.

"Come on!" She shouted. Kakashi looked after them, trying to catch his breath as things began to take a turn for the worse. Another explosion let off, echoing with the screams of villagers as they mercilessly were killed by the hands of the Mist ninja. The Hatake began to sprint towards his students, wanting the keep them safe. There was nothing to do now but run. The village was now a lost cause and their shinobi were being slain one by one. The enemy was triumphant.

A kunai flew past his ear and he jumped up as a wall of shuriken blasted towards him. Jonin of the Mist village flocked behind him, appearing out of nowhere. Another kunai came from his blind side, striking him in the chest and taking his breath away in surprise. Blood soaked into his mask as he coughed and his knees buckled.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto's voice reached his ears and he looked up and made contact with his frightened gaze. Looking straight into the blue orbs, he shook his head vigorously, wanting them to keep moving. Sakura grabbed Naruto again and pulled him away with all her strength as a tear ran down her cheek. They ran…

Kakashi looked up at the nins and saw they had become distracted. He gritted his teeth. Despite the pain filling his upper body, he knew it would be his only chance to escape. _Now or never…GO!_ He thought to himself and he sprung up to his feet, running through a cloud of black smoke from the burning buildings, trying his hardest not to let his students down.

"Damn it…" His eyesight was beginning to blur as he felt blood seep between his fingers from his chest wound. But up ahead he could see the genin and he shouted to them. They turned their heads back immediately and slowed just enough for him to catch up. When they were together, they picked up their speed and managed to find an untouched building that had been abandoned from the beginning of the war. The Hokage had warned everyone that the attack was coming and the village evacuated as many civilians as possible, only leaving behind the leaf ninja and the brave ones who were willing to fight for their home.

Inside, Kakashi leaned up against a wall and undid his vest, allowing it to hang loosely. Sakura went to his side and examined the damage. He grunted from the pain and watched her expression twist into frustration. "Sensei, I can't heal it or anything. It's too deep." She frowned, but he managed a smile under his crimson soaked mask.

"Nevermind that now. We don't have that much time. I need you two to get out of here and go to the Sand Village. You'll be safe there and they can send us reinforcements. Why the Hokage didn't when we knew of this coming, I'm not sure, but we can't fight this battle alone. The Mist has multiplied and our best Jonin have already been killed or are wounded and in hiding." He clutched at his wound and felt his breath becoming shallow, but he ignored the pain and buttoned his vest back up. Naruto blinked and bit his lip nervously, the commotion outside coming closer.

"What about you?"

"…The enemy is coming. You need to leave now."

"But!" Both students stammered together, but he glared at them.

"GO!" The two glared back, but knew they would never win against him. Kakashi had drilled into their heads many times before that their lives were most important in times like these and that they needed to work together to survive. And now was the time to put them to the test. Sakura took a deep breath and pulled out her best kunai, watching as Naruto did the same.

"We'll meet back up, right?" She asked.

"Yes. Just go, please." Kakashi did his best to sound reassuring, but he saw in their eyes they were not convinced. Nevertheless, they turned and ran, kunai held out and hands clasped together. He momentarily thought how Sakura would have hated to even touch Naruto, and how Naruto would enjoy the contact if there was no death and bloodshed happening around them. He shook his head and peered outside. He had no more chakra to wield and his best bet was to run. He thought quickly of his surroundings and remembered the river that ran through. _It's my only chance to make it out of here. They'll be looking for me now, and the gate will be closed. Sakura and Naruto should make it in time before they begin to close it._

The Hatake took his chance and dashed back outside, sensing hi enemy gaining on him. They knew he was hidden in the building and they were waiting for him to come out to strike. He grimaced, quickening his pace. The river was just ahead, and its currents were rough. He inwardly frowned. The river was just as threatening to him as the massacre because of his weak state, but he had to try. He had to fight to stay alive. Kunai and shuriken whizzed past him, one brushing through his flowing hair. He reached the edge of the grass that dipped into water and he took a deep breath. Without looking back, he made one final handsign, hoping he could summon just enough chakra to conceal him in the crystal blue liquid. And without a second to spare, he dove in the cold, searing water, hoping with every ounce of life he had left that his prodigies made it out. _Sakura, Naruto….Please stay alive._

. . .

"Five more minutes, please…" He groaned under his blanket as a slightly annoyed female voice rang in his ears.

"Kisuke, how many times must I tell you to get out of bed when we have a guest!"

"Ungh…" He sat up and looked at the culprit of bringing him back to consciousness. "You're so mean to me!"

"Do you want me to be _truly_ mean?" Her face came inches away from his, a glare seeping into his eyes. He backed up against the headboard of his bed.

"Uh…I'll get up, beh-heh." A drop of sweat ran down his brow as she stood straight up and smiled. He stared at her and cringed. _Yoruichi's friends are really scary…_

Indeed Yoruichi's friends were cocky and full of personality, but that wasn't all. This certain woman was one of her best friends and well trained fighters. Her name was Ronin. She was a busty babe (though not quite as busty as Orihime) with long blonde hair with red streaks. She wore it up in a ponytail, her bangs framing her oceanic blue eyes. Her black robe she adorned herself with looked similar to Kisuke's, but had red dragons wrapping around the sleeves. Underneath she wore a black tank top and black capris. Her hands were adorned with silver rings on each finger and her ears each had four piercings in the cartilage, giving her a tougher look, or so Kisuke thought.

Ronin was a strong worrier, skilled in sword fighting and soul reaping. Her father had been a captain, although no one knew exactly what had become of him…or who he was. He had kept her a secret from the society, not wanting them to interfere with his daughter. For a 19 year old, she was highly known for her skills, much like a certain orange haired 15 year old, who was the guest she had been speaking of.

Ronin walked to the front of the Urahara Shop, a smile plastered on her face. "He'll be right out, Ichigo."

"Um, alright…but, who are you?" She twitched.

"Ronin."

"Isn't that a guy's name?" Suddenly, Ichigo found himself slammed up against the wall, a hand on his chest. Ronin smiled pleasantly at him.

"Does it have to be?"

"N-no, it doesn't….s-s-sorry!" She walked to the counter and faced him as he collected himself up off the floor, having fallen down when she let go of him.

"So, Ichigo, you're the famous new soul reaper?" He looked at her sternly.

"How do you know about that?"

"You and I have much in common." She said quietly. He wanted to ask what she meant, but Kisuke finally made his appearance.

"Ichigo, what brings you here at the early hour?"

"It's four in the afternoon…" Kisuke sweat-dropped. Rubbing the back of his neck, he glanced at Ronin and nodded his head. She nodded back and walked out the back door, leaving them to their business. Ichigo looked at Kisuke with bewilderment, nudging his shoulder in the direction of the woman who left.

"Who the hell is she?" A smile spread across hat and clog's face.

"She's a…good friend. Tough one, that Ronin is."

"She's freakin' psycho! And how is she so fast and strong?" The teen stammered. Kisuke's smiled faded and his hat darkened his eyes out of sight.

"Ronin had a hard life growing up the daughter of a captain. She was trained vigorously since she could walk. And with the soul society unknowing of her until a couple years ago, she was trained more brutally on stealth and hiding. By the time she was five, she had killed over 300 hollows by herself." Ichigo's eyes widened.

"How old is she?"

"19." Kisuke pressed his hat further down on his head. "Now, back to the real reason you're here." The teen nodded.

"It's about Rukia."

Outside, Ronin walked down a hill and heard the small ripples of water coming from the river. She was drawn to it, a feeling spreading over her and puzzled her. Generally when she walked outside, she was pulled to the sounds of birds chirping and crickets singing, but this was a different kind of pull. This was a life energy. "There's someone in the water…" She said to herself.

Kneeling down by the edge, she put her hand in the water and her eyes narrowed. Within the current, she could feel the feint pulse of a life form. A human. She straightened back up and shed her robe from her shoulders and stared at different places, trying to pinpoint exactly where…_There!_ She dove in, swimming to the bottom and clutching at something made of metal. She examined it momentarily, than tucked it away in her pocket before swimming a little farther. Moments later, she emerged from the water, in her arms a man with silver hair. As she dragged them both to the shore, she gave him a look over.

He was wearing a navy blue mask over the bottom half of his face and a scar ran over his left eye. A green vest covered a navy blue shirt and blood was caked onto his clothes all the way down to the skin. She took a closer look at the wound and saw that it had been burned closed. _He must have been bleeding badly to sear it shut._ After wrapping him in her robe, she gathered him up in her arms and slung him over her back, trudging back up the hill and to the Urahara shop. As she reached the back door, she could hear Kisuke still speaking with Ichigo.

"Kisuke!" She called him. He looked over his shoulder and cocked his head.

"Where'd you find _him_?" He asked as Ichigo's eyes widened. She took him to her bedroom and laid him out on the bed, stripping him of his clothes.

"The river."

"Alive?" He came in, obviously knowing the answer, but she replied anyway.

"Barely. He looks like he escaped from some sort of war." She walked over into the bathroom and grabbed clean towels and filled a bowl with hot water. Ichigo crept in to take a look.

"Do you want my Dad to come take a look at him?" Ronin ignored him and went back to the room and began to nurse the wound carefully. Kisuke chuckled, making the Kurosaki stare at him.

"Thanks, but Ronin also has a specialization in medical situations such as this." Ichigo raised his brows and Kisuke led him back out to the front. "Let's leave her to tend to him. She's better when given space, anyway…"

Ronin gingerly touched a wet cloth to the wound to clean it, and was surprised when the man's hand grabbed her wrist reflexively. His grip wasn't as strong as she knew it could be, but it was tight enough to make her wince. She let him grab her. "You must have been through hell to be able to do that so close to death." She looked to his eyes, which were half open and staring at her. His gaze was empty and from the looks of his eyes, he didn't realize anything that was going on. She put her other hand over top of the one gripping her. "It's ok, now." She said gently, and he closed his eyes and his hand fell limp.

She began to clean the wound now, with no more reflexes. The man groaned a couple times, but she wrapped him up after everything had been taken care of and tucked him into the bed. In the doorway, Kisuke watched as his friend treated the stranger with the utmost care and raised his brow at the expression she held. It was one a mother would give to a child, or a friend would give to another friend. He chuckled. _That guy floated to the right place._

Ronin made sure he was comfortable and sat down on the side of the bed. She couldn't figure out his energies. Somehow she was still being drawn to him, even now that he was safe and out of the river. It was almost as if she was meant to know him. She sighed, feeling something bulging out of her pocket. She mumbled an "oh!" and pulled out what she had found before pulling him up. She let her fingers glide over the metal plate of what she assumed was a headband and studied the etching. It looked like a swirl with a triangle attached to it. She frowned at the dirt and blood covering it and took an extra cloth and cleaned it off. When she finished, she set it down on the nightstand. She knew it was his, but she wasn't exactly sure what it stood for.

She stood up and decided to crash on a cot for the night when she felt his hand grab at hers. She turned around and saw his eyes half open again, staring into her own. She felt her cheeks flush a little as he reached up to his face with his other hand to feel that his mask had been removed. He was younger than she thought, guessing he was in his mid-twenties or so and his face was smooth and his skin soft from being hidden from the sun.

Ronin sat back down and watched as his expression relaxed and his hand fell back down to his side. After a moment, he looked away from her and his eyes were closed once more, allowing himself to fall into a peaceful sleep. She sighed, sweeping some of his hair from his face. "Strange man, why were you afloat in the water?"

. . .

End of chapter one! Let me know what you think! Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Afloat in the Water

Sorry it took so long to update! My account was going haywire for the past few weeks, but to make up for it I will have the third chapter up within the next two days! Enjoy!

Chapter Two

After the man had fallen asleep, Ronin was able to leave the room and she took the opportunity to shower. She smelled like stale blood and river water and she feared her nose would remain crinkled if she didn't freshen up a bit. As she finished cleaning herself up and walked out of the bath, Kisuke came up to her in the hallway. "Ronin…how is the strange man in your bedroom?"

"He's doing ok. He's drifting in and out of sleep, but he's quick to heal. I wager a week and he'll be up and moving." She reached back behind her and swept her hair back in a ponytail, all the while the Urahara watched her. She sighed. "He must've gone through Hell, though." She added.

"Why's that?"

"That wound in his chest was caused by this…" She pulled a weapon from her pocket, and to Kisuke it looked like a foreign knife. He took it from her and studied it, trying to figure out what it could possibly be. She continued what she was about to tell him. "…And when I tried to leave the room the first time, he grabbed my hand. When I looked into his eyes, all I could see was fear. And he doesn't strike me as a person who holds fear." She frowned as she took the weapon back from him, not wanting him to get any smart ideas. He followed it still with his eyes.

"What is that?"

"It's a kunai. A choice weapon for ninja." She paused a moment. "I'm beginning to think he is a ninja. He had a bag that was full of shuriken as well." He raised his brows.

"I've never heard of a ninja wandering so far from home." He began to walk to the front of the shop, the bell going off to signal the arrival of a customer. She wandered back to her room and pulled a chair to the side of the bed. As she sat down, his eyes flickered open and he slowly brought his head to the side to look at her. She gave him a smile and leaned over close to him.

"Can you speak?"

"…Where-am I?" He croaked, his voice hoarse and dry from lack of use.

"You're at the Urahara Shop. I found you in the backyard in the river….can you tell me your name?" His eyes were starting to close again, but he fought to stay awake, wanting to be alert long enough to know if he felt safe or not. His body was somewhat tense and his gaze was full of worry, but she stayed relaxed, hoping to show to his half-conscious stupor that he was indeed alright.

"Hatake…Kakashi." He looked at her and blinked and she blushed a little bit.

"Ronin." The corner of his mouth twitched in an attempt to smile, but instead he winced from a sudden pain in his chest. She laid her hand on top of his and whispered,

"Just go back to sleep, Kakashi. You're safe here." And he did, whether or not if he was listening to what she had told him. She sighed and stood from her chair and walked out of the room. "Kakashi…" she mumbled under her breath, feeling a shy smile spread across her face.

. . .

Kisuke searched through the many boxes he received from shipments and, spotting the box he wanted, pulled one off the shelf. He set it down and opened it, looking at the assorted medical supplies inside. "Hmm…" He patted his chin with his finger and stuck out his lower lip. "Uryuyu!" He called out lovingly. A small girl with raven hair in pigtails bounced into the room then, her puppy dog eyes locked on him.

"Yes, Master Kisuke?"

"Will you call Ichigo and tell him that his shipment has arrived?"

"Yes, Sir." She walked out of the supply room and headed to the front of the shop to use the telephone. Ronin passed her and came into the storage room next, watching as Kisuke taped up the box of medical supplies.

"Kisuke?"

"Yeah?"

"Why is it that Kuchiki, Rukia needs so much medical supply?" She asked, her gut suddenly forming a feeling of suspicion. Kisuke merely shrugged his shoulders.

"My guess is that her gigi isn't adapting to the life of Ichigo quite yet." He replied, watching as she just nodded, her eyes glazing over as she stared off into space. He chuckled. "Do you ever consider going to bed?" He peeked up at the clock on the wall and noted it was quarter after one in the morning and she had been up way early that day. She shrugged this time.

"Sleeping's overrated." She yawned, sitting down on a chair and hugging her knees to her chest. He walked to her side and put a hand on her head.

"It's been a long day. Perhaps you should get some rest."

"…" She stood back up and walked out, heading to the guest bedroom to crash on the bed that called to her. As she disappeared down the hall, he went back over to the box and placed his hands on top of it, a frown capturing his face.

"I'm sorry, Ronin. But I cannot let you know."

Ronin stifled another yawn and turned the light on in the small and dingy room. She slipped out of her robe and sandals, happily crawling into the bed, but she couldn't help but think about how Kisuke had just acted. "What are you hiding from me, Urahara?" She asked aloud, allowing her eyes to close and the darkness swallow her into a dreamless void.

"_Get out of here, now!" Kakashi shouted as Sakura and Naruto stood motionless in the field of ongoing battle. The horrid sounds of screaming and bloodshed echoed around them and seconds turned to minutes, minutes turned to hours. Kunai and shuriken flew through the air and bombs lit up the night sky. He ran towards his students, watching with fear as a bomb landed at their feet and exploded right before his eyes…_

Kakashi opened his eyes with a start, sitting up in the bed. Calming himself down, he leaned over and laid his head in his hands, wiping the sweat from his brow. He then looked around him, feeling slight confusion creep into him. _How did I end up here?_ He thought to himself. He tried to think back as far as he could when the image of a young girl sitting by his side popped into his head. He sat up against the headboard and took a few deep breaths. _She must have been the one who saved me from the river._

"You shouldn't be up, you know." Kakashi's eyes widened as he turned to look in the far corner of the room, where a dark figure sat and stared at him. He recognized the size of the person as the girl he remembered by his side earlier and he couldn't help but be startled at the fact that he never noticed her come in. She hadn't been there when he woke up from his nightmare.

"Ronin." He watched her smile in the feint moonlight. She leaned forward in her chair.

"So you recall talking to me earlier. That's good. I was wondering if you had been awake or not." She stood and walked over to the side of the bed and sat down, fixing her eyes on his. He watched her, alarmed that he felt safe, despite knowing the fact that he had no idea how far he was from his village or from the people that could need him most. "Mind telling me where you're from?" She asked suddenly, bringing him out of his thoughts. He blinked his right eye, keeping the left one closed.

_She has an incredible strength…who is this girl? _"Can I be sure to trust you?" He asked her, already knowing what the outcome of asking his question would be. She raised her brow.

"Considering I took the time to pull you from the river, patch you up, and give you a bed to sleep in, I think you can trust me. Although I won't judge you if it isn't a high amount." He furrowed his brow, but shrugged.

"Konohagakure." Saying the name of his village sent a pain through his chest and he immediately thought of Naruto and Sakura, as well as the war he had escaped from.

"Village hidden in the leaves? You must have floated a hell of a long way down that river. Tell me…were your people at war? Is that why you were afloat?" She asked him, wanting to get straight to the point, but she was somewhat surprised when the Hatake looked away from her. She could sense that he was fighting to keep his emotions in check, but his hands were beginning to shake and his shoulders started to tremble slightly. He balled his hands into fists, ceasing all signs of movement.

"We were ambushed." He spoke clearly, his voice full of anger. He was avoiding her gaze now, staring out the window into the clear and crisp night. Ronin sighed and stood up, walking over to the nightstand where she had set the kunai down. She picked it up and went back to the bed. She had cleaned it off earlier, not wanting there to be bloodstains on it to bring back images of what he had run away from, although she knew better.

"You were near death…you ran to save yourself because of what your instincts told you to do. I can tell you hold regret for your actions, but you shouldn't feel that way. A shinobi is only a human being, after all." She watched as he finally looked back at her and she gave him a small smile. His gaze was already a lot stronger than it had been and he returned her expression with equal effort. But she knew he was keeping something to himself. His open eye held a certain fear and she had a hunch it was for someone and not something.

"Ronin." She came out of her thoughts to see him looking at her. He was now smiling at her and she blinked. "Thank you for the hospitality. I would be dead, had you not found me in the river."

"You're welcome." She replied back to him, feeling her face flush. She watched him nod and lay back down under the covers, closing his eye to fall into slumber. She put her head down, cursing at herself. _Is there a reason that I turn red every time I come around this Kakashi?_ A light snore escaped from him and she giggled quietly, standing to return to her guest bedroom to resume her own slumber. _You are something else, Shinobi of Leaf._

She crossed the hallway back to her room, laying down and pulling the covers up and over her chin. As she snuggled into the fluffy blanket, she couldn't help but think of the Hatake's bright smile, even though he had been through so much. She sighed to herself. _I hate it when I have the feelings of a child over a stranger….but yet he doesn't feel like a stranger to me. Somehow, he feels like home._

. . .

So this chapter is a little shorter I know. In the next chapter, things will begin to pick up and the story will just start rolling! Keep in mind, I wrote this over five years ago, so I'm doing my best to revise it and make it sound better, lol. You should see the written notebook…oh boy…Review!


	3. Chapter 3

Afloat in the Water

Chapter Three

"Ronin! Wake up, sleepy head!"

"Mmmm…" Ronin opened her eyes and pushed herself into her pillow, Kisuke standing above her with a wide smile and sparkling eyes. She groaned, rolling over to block her eyes from the sight. _Despicable man, having the audacity to wake me up…_

"Come on! The day is dawned and waiting for your pretty lil face!" Ronin felt a vein pop on her forehead and thrust her foot into his gut, sending him flying into the back wall, his feet twitching. He picked himself up, a drop of sweat running down the side of his face as he dusted himself off and straightened his robe. Ronin crawled out of her bed and stretched, yawning as she looked out the window a moment before reaching for some clean clothes she had stolen from her room the previous day. Kisuke watched her with a calm look about him and she raised a brow. He merely smiled.

"Your ninja friend is out of bed and wandering about outside. I believe he's down by the river." Ronin's eyes widened a little in surprise. She then scurried to the bathroom to freshen up to meet with Kakashi out in the warm, summer day.

_I shouldn't be surprised that he's up and moving. He is a ninja after all…but part of me feels shocked, considering his injuries. I guess I underestimated him. _She didn't waste time, and sooner than later, she was dressed in her black outfit with her robe, flinging the door open just as she let her finished ponytail drop against her back.

She walked outside and was greeted by the warm sunlight and couldn't help but smile. There was a time she never saw the sun, and each day she woke up to it, she always felt a little grateful. Her skin could get easily cold and she was prone to getting chills sometimes. So she always soaked it up when she was allowed. The air smelled of blooming flowers and the breeze was light and gentle, caressing any available cheek. Ahead of her, the river flowed freely, splashing up on the shore every few seconds due to the naturally fast current. Standing above it was Kakashi, whom looked disheveled and somewhat lost.

He was fully dressed in his Jonin wear, minus his original shirt. He had his headband covering his strange eye and he was glaring down at the water, his fists clenched to his sides. Underneath of his dark colored mask, a frown stained his lips and his hair fell in front of his normal eye, only adding shadow to his despair.

Ronin carefully walked up to him, unaware of she should be cautious with his emotions or his ability to snap at any given time to escape from her. He had a new look of determination to get back home where his people could need him, but she had no intentions of letting him go. Not in the condition he was in. She tucked her bangs behind her ears. "So you've made your way out of slumber. Well done, Kakashi." She spoke carefully. He only gripped his fists harder.

"I need to go back to my village."

"Is there a village to go back to?"

"I have to find them."

"Who is it you have to find?"

"I need to leave…now."

"I can't let you do that." He finally gave her a reaction, rounding on her with a look of shock and a mixture of anger and sadness. She just stared into his eye and kept her cool, knowing emotion would only get in the way of what was best for life, his life. "I'm sorry, Kakashi. But you aren't fully healed as of right now and I would rather you not die after all the work I performed on you." She covered up the real reason she didn't want him to go, but he didn't seem to be listening to her. She twitched. His shock twisted into a cold glare.

"Do you plan to stop me from leaving?" He kept his eyes locked on hers and she saw that his headband had been pulled up, his red eye spinning. She avoided looking into it and smiled at him.

"I cannot let you leave with such a serious wound. You would only get yourself killed." She sighed. "Besides, I would rather fight you when you were fully recovered. It wouldn't be a fair game now." He blinked, taking in a breath to calm himself down a little bit.

"You wish to fight _me_?"

"I've always been intrigued by the idea of battling with a genuine ninja. I once studied the ninja ways and the cultures, familiarizing myself with different jutsus and even using chakra control to change and enhance my own abilities." He stared at her a moment, shock returning back into his gaze.

_That's right…that night in my room, I wasn't able to track her. She had moved so fast, I never saw her moving towards the bed to sit beside me in the chair. I never even heard her! _Kakashi kept his eye on her, waiting for her to move. He had a feeling in his gut that she would strike first, and he intended to be ready for her. But at the same time, he was feeling unsure about the situation. He knew better to underestimate people, and he had done just that with her. It would prove to be a major mistake.

"You should never underestimate an opponent, Hatake, Kakashi." She smiled at him again. "And not that I have any say on the matter, but maybe you're underestimating those whom you worry about currently?" She said lightly.

Kakashi's eyes widened and it was then he realized she was right. Not only was he underestimating his possible opponent, but he wasn't holding the faith in Sakura and Naruto that he usually had. What was going on? He shook his head, a bead of sweat running down his brow. He needed to find his center of balance. "I'm such a fool…" He breathed, rubbing the back of his neck. Ronin frowned.

_He acts nonchalant, even when insulting himself, but on the inside he must be a wreck…I can tell the war took some effect on him...although I have to hand it to him, he's been trained very well on keeping his emotions in check._ She went to his side and with hesitation, put her hand on his shoulder.

"I know I really don't know you, but…if I can be of any help, you can talk to me about what happened in your village." He looked past her to the river, his eyes faraway from where they were. Past the water in the distance, a few houses peeked up from the countryside. She always thought they were misplaced in the busy city.

"You're serious about keeping me here, aren't you?" He asked her quietly.

"A lie has never stained my lips." He searched her eyes a moment, and a smile spread across his face under his mask.

. . .

Kisuke walked back into his shop, giving the two by the river some extra privacy. He stopped at the front counter and leaned against it, resting his chin on his hand and giving a loud sigh. "I've got a funny feeling about those two." He thought about them staring at one another and felt himself grow a little protective. "I don't know about this…" He scowled.

"Hey, Hat and Clogs. What are you scowlin' about?" Kisuke looked up to see Ichigo leaning heavily against the doorway, blood running down the side of his face. His eyes widened. The teen was in his soul reaper form, crimson soaking the front of him as well.

"Ichigo, what-?" The orange haired boy fell, revealing behind him a hollow, which was making its way closer to the shop. Kisuke gripped his cane. "Wonderful."

Ronin felt the air grow tense and she looked up, alarms going off in her head. The air was changing, an evil aura polluting the clear energy that usually enveloped the area. Kakashi looked at her, breaking out of his thoughts at her look of concern. "What is it?" She didn't answer him; instead, she tensed and ran towards the shop. _I can never misjudge the feeling of a hollow!_ She burst through the back door of the Urahara Shop and ran to her room. Reaching inside the doorway, her hand fell upon her zanpakto. She gripped it firmly and ran back out to the front, forgetting the ninja she had left outside. When she came to the front door, she froze at the sight of Ichigo bleeding out on the floor.

"Ichigo."

"Ronin, get him out of here! I'll hold it off and have some fun until you get back!" Kisuke shouted to her while pulling out his own zanpakto. "Benihime." She heard his say and she could picture him running his hand over the blade. She wasted no more time and hoisted Ichigo onto her back.

"What's going on?" She gritted her teeth as she looked up to see Kakashi coming in the back door. Something big was coming.

"Kakashi, GET DOWN!" Suddenly, the hollow crashed into the shop, glass and wood splintering and flying through the air. Ronin quickly jumped back to her feet and began to run, Kakashi following beside her. She headed back to the river, the only safe place to go.

The Hatake followed her, confused at the sudden chaos raining down around them. _What the hell was that thing?_ He thought frantically as they stopped by the water once again. Ronin set the orange haired boy on the ground and looked back to the shop. A cut was slashed above her right eye, blood running down her face. She grunted as she wiped at the crimson, trying her best to clear her vision. "Been a while since I've bled. That bastard of a hollow will pay!" She looked into Kakashi's eye, determination burning in hers. "Wrap him up as best you can. I'm gonna go help Kisuke."

"I can't be of any help?"

"Not yet, Kakashi." Was all she could think to say. He nodded, feeling it best to help the teen who lay bleeding at his feet. Ronin bolted up the hill and he looked after her, wishing he was beside her to help, but knew she was right. _Not yet, but soon._

Ronin reached Kisuke's side and gave him a once over, noticing he was wounded…rare for an ex captain. "How bad is this hollow?"

"Bad. We have to strike together." Ronin nodded, gripping the sheathed blade in her hands. She pulled it out from its protective cover and ran her hand over the blade, whispering,

"Kasai-ken!" The sword began to glow, transforming from a long, narrow blade to a double ended zanpakto, the blades shaped as serpent like dragons. She gripped the middle expertly and went to her fighting stance. Kisuke held his own up and together they raised the blades into the air.

Spirit energy began to gather around them, the blades glowing a crimson red. Ronin felt the energy consume her and her hands began to burn from the power. She shouted at the hollow, which continued approaching, letting out an angered roar. It smashed through the remaining walls, clearing the area to strike at them. She gave a malicious smile. "Come on, ya damn coward! Come and get us!" The hollow began to lean over them, opening its menacing mouth and screaming. Kisuke made eye contact with her and they both nodded at each other.

Without warning, the two reapers let down their zanpaktos, releasing the power of bloodlust from the blades and piercing the hollow perfectly in the center of his chest.

. . .

Kakashi finished wrapping Ichigo's now exposed chest and glanced up to see smoke billowing from the shop. "That can't be normal…" A wretched scream filled the air and he saw a red light envelope the surrounding area. He put his arm in front of his face, shielding his eyes as it brightened and the roar from the monster grew piercing. _They must've struck it down. It sounds pained._ He snuck a peek and saw that the light was dissipating. He checked on Ichigo and sighed. The boy was out cold, his brow knit in frustration from the pain. _Now what?_

Ronin watched the hollow disperse into the air and took in a relieved breath as the atmosphere became lighter. She reached up to her cut and wiped away the blood, momentarily clearing her vision. She glanced at Kisuke as her zanpakto returned to its original form. "You're out of shape, Kisuke." The man tilted his head back and gave a small laugh.

"Yeah? So are you!"

"This?" She motioned to the cut on her brow. "This doesn't count. I was grazed by flying glass, not the hollow itself."

"Sure…" He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He put Benihime back in her sheath and took a look around his demolished store. She took a deep breath and headed back to where Kakashi and Ichigo were.

When she reached them, she found Kakashi standing next to the unconscious Ichigo. He picked his head up when he heard her coming and gave her a look over.

"What just happened?"

"Hollow destroyed. I'll explain later. How's the kid?" She kneeled down next to him and examined his wounds. She touched his bandaged head, her eyes widening as a thought dawned on her. "Wait a minute!" She jerked her head up to look at the blinking ninja.

"What?"

"You…You can see him?" She put a hand on her forehead, forgetting that she was bleeding still. "Why didn't I notice before?" Ronin became lost in her thoughts as the confused ninja stared at her. _He must have a large amount of spiritual energy because of his chakra manipulation…the hollow must have come because it sensed him!_ "Kakashi, we need to get back to the shop."

"But…it was destroyed." She waved her hand, dismissing his words.

"I'm sure Kisuke fixed it up already. Now, let's get back inside!" She picked up Ichigo and was about to walk up the hill when the teen was taken from her. She blinked, watching as Kakashi walked past her, Ichigo cradled in his arms. She followed him, hoping there would be no more hollows nearby.

. . .

"Ah shit." Ronin looked up from the book she was reading to see Ichigo rubbing his forehead. She sighed, marking her spot and setting it down on the nightstand next to the guest bed. She looked at him, her eyes catching his attention and making him freeze.

"We meet again, reaper." He snapped out of it and shook his head, trying to dismiss her unsettling silence about her.

"Why the hell are you here?"

"Don't be such a dumbass. I'm the one who saved you…well, with a little help." Suddenly, she was standing directly over him, making him sink into the pillow. She gave a toothy smile. "How do you feel?" He grunted, sitting up against the headboard as she sat down on the edge of the bed and crossed one leg over the other.

"Like crap." He furrowed his brows and looked into her eyes. "What happened after I stumbled in?" She rubbed her temples, her eyes closed.

"To put it shortly, you came, passed out, and Kisuke and I destroyed the hollow. Lucky for you, I had someone wrap you up before you bled to death." She watched him after she finished, waiting for him to realize what she had said. Ichigo nodded…and then he looked at her with surprise.

"Wait…that guy that you kept here could see me in reaper form?"

"Yes. He's proving to be a very interesting person." She replied.

"What does that mean?" He asked her. She scoffed, becoming impatient with him.

"Think, Strawberry, it means that hollow came after him. It sensed _his_ energy and came scouring for food. He has immense spiritual energy, quite like you, but there is something else."

"Now what?"

"I don't know, yet. I need you to inform Rukia about this to see if she can't figure this out." Ichigo nodded slowly.

"Fine." He tried to stand from the bed, but she was above him again, pushing him down into the mattress with her finger.

"I didn't say now. You can do it tomorrow morning. It's late, you should get some rest…oh, and I'm locking you in." She smiled and walked out of the room, shutting the door and locking it as promised. The teen sat in the bed fuming.

Kakashi sat on Ronin's bed and looked out the window, his mind adrift. He had to get out of there. His village was in ruins and needed all the help it could muster. And there was no telling if surrounding villages would come to help. For all he knew they had been attacked as well. He touched his fingers to his tilted headband, feeling the engraving of the leaf symbol on his skin. "Damn it."

"Damn what?" The Hatake turned to see Ronin at the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes were smiling at him and her brows were raised in question. He hesitated a moment, knowing he shouldn't have been surprised at how fast she appeared there.

"…"

"I told you I will not let you leave. Not until that wound in your shoulder is better."

"Don't underestimate me, Ronin. I have much more experience than a 19 year old such as yourself."

"…Heh…Hahahahahahaha!" Ronin began to laugh, clutching her gut as she doubled over. The ninja scowled at her, offended at her reaction to him. She took a deep breath and wiped a tear from her eye. "Don't eat your words, dear ninja, it is_ I_ you shouldn't underestimate."

Kakashi didn't even have time to blink. Suddenly, he found himself wedged against the wall, his hands pinned behind him. Her hand pressed into his wound and he gasped, wincing at the sharp pain. She leaned closer to him, her lips next to his ear as he struggled to think through the pain.

"You are weak, Kakashi. You can't even track my movements, nor can you act quick enough to make a counterattack or escape my simple hold on you." She let go of him, watching as he slid down to the floor, clutching his chest and trying to catch his breath. She kneeled down and gave him a sweet smile as he managed to make eye contact with her. "Forgive me for taking advantage of your wound, but I merely wanted to prove my point."

"Point successfully proven…" He grimaced. She continued.

"You are in no means to try and fight me. And I can even take a guess to say you haven't even built up any of your chakra, am I right?" He shut his eye in reply, his head leaning against the wall.

"…"

Ronin stood and grabbed Kakashi's free hand and hoisted him up off the floor. He let her walk him the short way back to the bed and sit him down. She sat down next to him and pulled out her ponytail, her hair falling against her shoulders in waves. "Can I ask you something?" She looked at him and he nodded, waiting for her to ask. "Did you sense that hollow?"

"Yes."

"Did you sense anything else?"

"…Yes." He looked down at his right hand lying limp in his lap, the other still clutching at his wound. "Something was calling me." Ronin stared at him, her blue eyes entranced by him.

"You there! Yoruichi's friend!" A woman's voice interrupted them and Ronin snapped back into reality, turning around to see a girl with short black hair clad in a school uniform.

"Rukia. I wasn't expecting to meet with you until tomorrow morning." Rukia stared at her.

"You expected wrong. I need to speak with you immediately." Just then, Kisuke walked in, having heard commotion. He smiled.

"Rukia, so nice of you to dro—"

"Shut it, Kisuke, my business is with your daugh—" In the blink of an eye, the Urahara was behind Rukia, one arm wrapped around her shoulders and the other covering her mouth. She looked at him, startled by his speed, a sweatdrop dripping down from her brow. Ronin looked away from them, sadness in her blue eyes. Kakashi stared at her and noted how the atmosphere had changed so suddenly. Was Rukia about to say what he thought? _I sense an unwanted secret hanging about the air. If what Rukia was about to say what I think…well, whatever it was, Ronin is saddened by it. But why?_

Rukia ripped Kisuke's hands off of her. "I apologize for my intrusion, but I have urgent news for an ex reaper." Ronin perked back up as if her name had been called and found Rukia looking at her.

"What wonderful news has the Soul Society for me?"

"Alone. Can we speak privately?" Rukia asked somberly. Kisuke jumped up and smiled at Kakashi.

"Alright! Kakashi, is it? Do you like tea? Well, no matter, I have some that you will absolutely die for!" He chirped, grabbing the jonin and tugging him out of the room, giving him no room to argue. Rukia closed the door behind them and focused her attention on Ronin. Her expression was grave and dark and the 19 year old knew what was coming wouldn't be good.

"Ronin, the Soul Society has received word about the ninja Hatake Kakashi from Konohagakure."

"And what is this to do with me?"

"They have ordered all reapers to kill on sight."

. . .

End of chapter three! It took me a little over two days to post, but I combined two chapters for y'all in return. Hope you liked it and please review! Thanks! 


	4. Chapter 4

Afloat in the Water

Chapter Four

"Why?" Ronin asked urgently, immediately irritated at the Soul Society. She always hated them. Rukia shrugged her shoulders, making her all the more angry.

"He has a power unknown power and they wish to take no chances. He could be a very threat to their existence."

"Ridiculous! It's an excuse to gain more power they don't need!" Ronin crossed her arms, baffled at the news given to her. She looked at Rukia. Something wasn't right. She narrowed her eyes. "…You're here because the Soul Society asked you to come here…to take him." The reaper smiled after a moment's hesitation.

"I'm sorry, Ronin, but there is no help for your friend. He should have stayed where he belonged."

. . .

Kakashi sipped his tea slowly, savoring the taste. Kisuke had been right when he said the tea was good, although it may not be good enough to die for. He looked at the man, who was sipping his own tea, his head angled towards the room where the other two were talking. He set his cup down and opened his eyes. "Well, tomorrow is a long day. Have to fix things up a bit after everything that came down on us."

"But…your shop is fixed. How did you do that, anyway?" Kisuke chuckled.

"Easy incantation is all. Unfortunately, it doesn't fix the plumbing. Wanna help me with it?"

"It would be my pleasure. You've been so kind as to house me the past few days." Kakashi replied. Kisuke nodded, tipping his cup one last time and drinking the remainder of his tea.

"Sounds excellent! Well, I'm off to bed then!" He got up from the table, leaving his cup and saucer and Kakashi alone in the room. The Hatake set his own cup down and decided to wander around the shop. He was feeling curious about the whole place, seeing interesting objects pass through. It was time he understood his new friends. And there was something that was nagging at him. _I have to know what Ronin is hiding._

Creeping to the wall that housed Ronin and the other girl, Kakashi made a hand-sign and focused his chakra to his left ear. He pressed it up to the wall and listened to the conversation, their voices loud and clear as if they were standing next to him.

"…You're here because the Soul Society asked you to come here…to take him." Came Ronin's irritated tone. He felt his eye widen as he listened for Rukia's reply.

"I'm sorry, Ronin, but there is no help for your friend. He should have stayed where he belonged."

_Well…it seems I'm in a pinch._ He looked to the nearest window and sighed. _That won't work._ _Not unless I plan on breaking it…_ He scurried around the room quieter than a mouse back to Ronin's room. Before he entered, he froze, feeling the presence of another. But the presence could feel him as well. He peered into the doorway and saw a man sitting on the bed, his blazing red hair pulled back in a ponytail. The man looked at him and raised his brows.

"So you're the hollow bait?" Kakashi slumped forward.

_A pinch indeed…Why me?_ The man smiled at him, clutching an oddly shaped sword that rested in his lap. Kakashi tried to think. _Not good…He's going to attack and I don't have enough chakra to fight…_

"Let's see what a ninja can do!" Suddenly, the man lunged forward, his weapon grazing Kakashi's cheek as he dodged it by a hair. The man grinned. "Quick on your feet, but not quick enough!" He swung his sword again, the blade seeming to grow as it expanded towards the jonin. Jumping to the ceiling, Kakashi focused his small amount of chakra to his feet, staying in place above the man's head. He began to run. "Not good!"

"You're like a monkey, aren't ya?" The man laughed, making Kakashi's hair stand on the back of his head. He needed help, fast.

. . .

Ronin clenched her fists at her sides and glared at Rukia. "Does Ichigo know about this?"

"No. He doesn't need to."

"Good. I would hate to have to kill a prodigy!" Ronin jumped into the air, flipping behind the surprised Rukia and kicking her forward, knocking the wind out of her. She ran towards her room.

"Ronin!" She looked up to see Kisuke running past her. They both skidded to a halt in front of each other. He looked behind her. "I'll take care of Rukia, but the ninja is your responsibility. I won't help you if they capture him. Now, hurry!" She nodded, the two of them running in opposite directions. Ronin reached her room and ripped the door open, her eyes searching frantically. She glared at the man standing in the center, his eyes too busy watching Kakashi, who was seemingly running on the ceiling to avoid any attacks, sweat lining his brow.

"Renji." She growled, the red haired man looking at her and holding a stone cold face.

"Ronin." He held his zanpakto before him, ready to attack. "The ninja is mine!" And then he leaped forward, ready to strike her.

Kakashi watched helplessly as the man, Renji, thrust his sword into Ronin's direction. He was awed as he watched her reaction, not expecting such a reaction. With the speed of lightning, Ronin blocked his sword with her own, which was double sided, the blades in shape of dragons. She smiled. "What's the matter, Renji, you look surprised!" Renji gritted his teeth, scowling at her.

"You good for nothing—"

"Too slow!" Ronin swung her zanpakto around, catching the reaper in the side and drawing blood. He looked at her wide eyed as the crimson dribbled down his chin. She continued to smile as her weapon began to glow a deep red. Her eyes turned the same color as the blade and Kakashi watched as the sword transformed to its final state.

He couldn't believe it. A gust of what looked like energy split from the sword, forming another woman and a dragon, which sat upon her shoulder. Ronin kept hold of her zanpakto, its shape intact. The woman had blood red hair that went down to her ankles. She wore a robe with flames across the bottoms of her sleeves. It split up her thigh and showed off her knee-high boots and mesh covered skin. The dragon perched on her shoulder was silver, its long wings outstretched. Ronin smiled.

"Kasai-Ken…You're both here…" She smiled…and fell backwards to the floor. Kakashi jumped down to her and caught her. He looked up at the newcomers.

"What…who are you?" The woman smiled down at him.

"Kasai. And the dragon is Ken. We are the zanpakto of Ronin, as well as a part of her soul. When we're released, her soul enters us and we gain more power for battle." The dragon purred on her shoulder as she looked at Renji, who was already recovered and ready to strike. Kasai smiled.

'Renji, we've never gotten to fight before. This will be fun, indeed." Ken chirped. Kakashi glanced between the girl in his arms to the one standing. _They're identical…_

A crash brought him out of his thoughts and he watched as Kasai-Ken attacked Renji head on, hitting him full force. The soul reapers hit the wall, bursting through it and debris flying everywhere, the air clouded with dust and dirt. He quickly stood and pulled Ronin into his arms, using the cloud as his cover to escape.

Sneaking outside from the new hole in the wall, he sighed. He carried Ronin down to the river and set her down gently, kneeling down next to her. _This reminds me of the Yamanaka jutsu of soul transfer. I wonder if it works the same way, as well._ He looked back up to the Urahara shop and wished he could be of some help. But he knew now that he would only get in the way.

Another crash echoed into the night sky and he watched as fire erupted from the building. A man's scream filled the air and a woman shouted "Renji!" worriedly. Dead silence took the place of the chaos and dust began to settle around the area. Kakashi couldn't help but glare. "This is my fault."

"Don't carry the blame on your shoulders, Kakashi. Ronin was the one who made the choice to save you and keep you here." Kakashi saw Kasai-Ken staring down at him and he stood up, staring them in the eyes. They seemed to be happy. He ran his hand through his hair anxiously.

"I can't even help you fight."

"Listen to me. You never planned to float here, so you can't take the blame. Besides that, after the war you went through in your hometown village, we can easily understand why you can't contribute to the fun, yet. But, please. Don't take any blame. You're doing more good than you realize. Ronin is glad for your presence. She cares for you…which is rare for her to do with anyone. She's never been given care, so its special when she gives it to another." Ken chirped again in agreement.

The spirits of the zanpakto kneeled down before Ronin and Kasai grabbed Kakashi, pulling him back down to his knees. "I hope I can see you again, Kakashi. Of course, on better circumstances." She winked at him, then leaned over Ronin, her and the dragon disappearing as the young girl began to glow. They fused with her body and color returned to her face, but her eyes remained closed. Kakashi swallowed hard, staring down at her peaceful expression.

"You…care about me?"

"Hey, ninja guy!" Kakashi looked up, his line of thought disappearing as he saw Ichigo running towards him. "What the hell just happened?" He kneeled over Ronin, checking her over before looking back up at him. Kakashi took in a breath and felt an urge to stroke the girl's cheek gently.

"A fight between reapers."


	5. Chapter 5

Afloat in the Water

Chapter Five

"She's finally waking up." Ronin slowly opened her eyes, looking around the brightly lit room and shying away from its intensity, shutting her eyes tightly. Her head was pounding and she felt like she went a round with a hollow on steroids. "Are you ok, young lady?" She opened her eyes again, forcing herself to adjust. Above her stood Ichigo and a middle aged man with short black hair and a small beard. She guessed it was her father, judging by their eyes.

"Where is Kakashi?" She asked. The older man smiled gently down at her.

"He's with Yuzu and Karin. How are you feeling? Ichigo said you took quite a fall while trying to catch one of the children at the shop." Ronin scowled. _You couldn't think of a better story? Ichigo…you dunce._

"I feel peachy." She groaned, putting a slender hand on her forehead and taking in a deep breath. Ichigo looked over at the man and furrowed his brows a minute.

"Hey, Dad. Can you give me a minute with her?"

"Sure, son! Just remember…she's just waking up." He gave a coy smile and the orange haired teen scowled.

"Dad!"

"I'm kidding…I'll be downstairs if you need me." He walked out of the room, chuckling under his breath and shutting the door behind him. Ichigo looked back down at her as he sat down in a chair that was pulled up next to the bed.

"What happened?" Ronin blinked, sitting herself up slowly. She felt a little dizzy. It had been awhile since she invoked her zanpakto and she forgot about the side effects.

"Where's Rukia Kuchiki?"

"Answer my question, then I'll answer yours." Ronin said nothing; instead, she glared at him, her anger growing inside of her. He must have realized it, because he sighed and gave in, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding her burning gaze. "I'm not sure…she took off last night and didn't even tell me where she was going." She softened her gaze and he met her eyes again, relieved to see her glare was replaced with a thankful smile.

"Rukia tried to take Kakashi to the Soul Society with Renji as her henchman. So I stopped them."

"Why would Rukia want to work with Renji?"

"Why would she carry out such a task for the Soul Society?" The two of them wondered a moment when a girl stepped in the room. She was cute, looking to be about 11 with big, bright eyes. Ichigo stared at her.

"What is it, Yuzu?" She smiled shyly, glancing between her brother and Ronin.

"Mr. Hatake wants to see Miss. Ronin." He walked to the door and opened it all the way to reveal Kakashi, whom walked in before the door was shut. He went to the side of the bed and stood close to Ronin.

"Have a good sleep?"

"Very funny." She spat. He smiled under his mask.

"Hmmm…" He pulled up the chair that Ichigo had used and sat down in it, staring at her intently. She looked back at him.

"What is it, Kakashi? You look confused about something…"

"What do these people want with me?" Ronin gripped the blanket that covered her and looked away from him momentarily. After pausing a moment, she managed to look back at him.

"They want your life."

. . .

Ichigo paced up and down the hallway, impatience growing inside of him. He scoffed at the air, his face distorting to reveal his impatience. "Ichigo, why are you pacing?" He looked down to see Kon staring up at him, a look of curiosity on his teddy lion face.

"I'm waiting."

"For what?"

For you to go away!" he picked Kon up suddenly, throwing him in another room, a small thud filling the air.

"OW! What the hell was that for?"

"Shut up!" Ichigo shouted at him as the door opened and Kakashi stared at him, confusion on his face.

"Is everything alright?"

"…" The orange haired teen scowled at him and continued his pacing.

Suddenly, he was pushed up against the wall, Ronin's face in his own. As he struggled, she held him tightly, her eyes piercing into his until he stopped moving. "Calm down, Ichigo. You're making me nervous." She stepped away from him, letting his feet make contact with the floor again. He took in a few breaths.

"Bout damn time." Ronin chuckled.

"In a rush to find your bitchy girlfriend?" Ichigo pounced at her, his face red and veins popping when Kisuke caught him as he walked in the hall at the right time.

"Now is not the time to be attacking your comrades, Ichigo." He said cheerfully. "Besides, temper won't answer questions. Now, stand up straight and hold still." Everyone watched as hat and clogs picked up his cane and shoved the end through Ichigo's forehead, his reaper form falling out the other end of his body. His physical body fell and hit the floor.

"Ouch!" Ronin chuckled as the teen scrambled up off the ground and stuck out his bottom lip at the sight of his now crumpled up body. She walked up to Ichigo and pulled his zanpakto out of its sheath, handling it as if it were a feather. He stared at her wide eyed. "That's not heavy to you?" Ronin returned the sword to its holder and pulled out her own, holding it out for him to take. He took it…and fell to the floor, his hand pinned underneath of it. She smiled brightly.

"No, not really." She picked her zanpakto up and sheathed it, suppressing a giggle as Ichigo grumbled and picked himself up. Kisuke cleared his throat.

"Ichigo, come with me. Ronin, meet me at my shop at midnight with Kakashi. First, I want you to spar with him, get him back in fighting shape. I'm sure he could use a good workout after everything that's been going on. I'm going to do some extra training with carrot top."

Ronin nodded and looked at Kakashi. "Now's your chance to show me what you can do, Hatake Kakashi." The ninja made no expression, but inside he felt himself flutter.

. . .

They had walked to an opposite side of town, where the countryside began and the city was out of sight. The river that seemed to run through the area was their destination once again, and Ronin stood next to it, facing Kakashi, whom was 50 feet away from her. They stared at one another, energies growing restless and the air's tension thickening.

"Are you prepared to show me what Konohagakure ninjas can do?"

"I can only hope that _you're _prepared, Ronin." Kakashi made a hand-sign, disappearing from sight. Ronin closed her eyes and held her arms up, catching his own and tossing him into the trees across the water. She then watched as he turned into a puff of smoke.

_A doppelganger…Interesting._ She closed her eyes once more, listening for him when she heard a feint breath in the ground below her feet. She bent down, plunging her hand into the dirt and grabbing Kakashi's hand, pulling him out. "Stop holding back, it pisses me off." She said with a grin. He chuckled. She flinched, hearing the sound of metal gliding on air and jumped, barely dodging the kunai. She looked to where he had been standing and found he was gone again. She focused. _Damn! He's good…I can't hear him at all, but he'll have to be just as silent when he—"_

Suddenly, Ronin found herself kicked to the ground. She wiped the blood that trickled down from her bottom lip. _Shit._ She thought back to the books she had read on chakra focus and how she had combined it with her reaper skills. She took in a breath.

More kunai flew towards her and she jumped easily into the air and held her hands above her.

Kakashi watched as Ronin held her hands above her, her palms beginning to glow. He attacked, not wanting to give her a chance to make a move. Making some hand-signs, he thought, _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_ Several clones of himself rushed at her simultaneously. He waited for the strike when they all vanished. He gaped. _What?_

"Looking for me?" Kakashi turned around to see Ronin punch him in the haw. He hit the ground, skidding 10 yards away. "Too slow." Another punch hit his back and he dropped to his knees. A foot met his ribs and a crack filled his ears. Blood soaked his mask as he coughed.

Ronin stood a few feet from him as he stood too, clutching his ribs. "I expected more from the copycat ninja, Hatake Kakashi. You're still holding back and it's killing you. Show me the sharingan!" Kakashi turned his head to the side and pulled his mask down, spitting a mouthful of blood out. He then pulled his mask back up and yanked up his headband, his sharingan spinning as it automatically locked on to her movement. She was already above him.

Jumping backward, Kakashi was about to hit her with his kunai when Ronin pulled out her sword and blocked him. She tried to kick him, but he dodged it, counterattacking with a punch to her stomach. Ronin fell to her knees, the wind knocked out of her. A trickle of blood ran down her chin and she flicked it away. "Much better!" The Hatake wasted no time and made more hand-signs. Taking a deep breath, he built up chakra in his mouth and blew out flames. _Phoenix Flower Jutsu!_

The fire billowed around the surprised girl and she ducked down, the hot flames covering her. He jumped back into the cover of the trees, waiting for his next move. As the fire cleared, Kakashi felt his eyes widen. Where Ronin once stood was himself. He blinked. The copy of him pointed at where he hid and he jumped from the tree in time to watch it disintegrate. Ronin appeared in front of him, her eyes wide with eagerness.

Sword and kunai collided in midair, the sound of metal on metal grinding in their ears. They landed on their feet, each trying to break the other's defense. But then Ronin broke the hold and jumped back, holding up her hand. He stopped, furrowing his brows at her. "What are you doing?" She gave yet another smile.

"You have much skill, Kakashi, but I'm afraid we'll have to finish sparring later. It's almost time to meet Kisuke."

End of chapter five! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the last! I got bored so I threw in two new updates in the same day! Chyeah! Next chapter is the return of Naruto and Sakura to the storyline! The plot thickens! Review!


	6. Chapter 6

Afloat in the Water

Chapter Six

"Naruto." Naruto opened his blue eyes, Sakura's face above his own. He blushed instantly, jumping up to a sitting position. Sakura twitched at his sudden move, but continued to stare at him, her face drawn and tired.

"What is it, Sakura?" He ran his hand down his face, his brow lined with dirt, sweat, and old blood. She was covered in her own and the day was humid. She squinted her eyes, the sun streaming into her view.

"We need to start moving again." She got up on her feet and waited for him to do the same. It had been days now since they had even heard anything about the once lively Konohagakure. Ever since the barrage of Mist ninja attacking and destroying their homeland and Kakashi going missing, they had set out to search for him, hoping he was alive. But there had been no luck. Hopes were sinking and the thought of finding Kakashi alive was fading fast.

There were no other shinobi met on the path to finding the lost sensei…except for the endless amount of those found dead. The two teens checked for vital signs on every body, hoping and dreading they would turn one over and see the Hatake. Sakura heaved a heavy sigh, wiping her own forehead with the back of her hand. Naruto gave her a look over, a frown on his face. His eyes were half way closed and he felt he hadn't slept in weeks despite having just awoken moments before. His body ached and he desperately wished for home. But he was starting to think that home was all gone and there would never be one again. He clenched his fists and began to shake and Sakura looked at him and furrowed her brows. He glared towards her.

"That's it, I can't take it anymore! Where the hell could Kakashi Sensei be?"

"I don't know, but…I've got a bad feeling that he's de-"

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence! Kakashi Sensei is alive! He's just hiding well…Damn it, I wish he would come out and surprise us like he always does though!" He gasped out, clutching his chest and wincing. Sakura rushed forward, catching him as he toppled over unconscious again. She cursed, laying him down on the ground.

"Aw man, Naruto, why do you have to keep passing out like that? I don't have the energy to heal you, let alone carry you." She slumped down, hitting her knees next to the boy and covering her face with her hands. She was scared. Her and her comrade had been out of chakra for days and couldn't stop long enough to recharge for fear of the enemy running into them. Although not stopping was proving to be just as risky, for if they ran into the enemy on the move, they would have no chance at all against them. She looked around them and thought a moment, trying to figure out what would be the best thing to do.

"Sakura…" Naruto whispered, making her jump. She looked over to him and gave a slight smile.

"What is it?"

"Are we gonna die here?"

"No you egghead. We just need to find a hiding spot and lay low. We have no choice but to rest." He looked at her and scowled.

"We can't stop! Kakashi could be in big trouble!"

"Well we can't help him if we have no chakra or stamina, Naruto! What do you propose we do, throw rocks at them and hope it works? I don't think so!" She glared at him and he quivered, her anger still as strong as ever. _Guess that never changes no matter how weak she becomes…_ he thought to himself, keeping in mind that she could bounce back with a fluke burst of energy and punch him.

"Where do we go?" She managed to get back to her feet and she grabbed his arm, slinging it over her shoulder to help him stand.

"We go to a wooded area and make a camp out. But we can't attract any attention, not even a bird."

"Right."

. . .

Kakashi flinched as Ronin pressed her hands against his fractured ribs, healing energy popping them back into their rightful positions. After just a few (agonizing) minutes, she removed her hands and began to walk, the Urahara Shop just a mere four blocks away. He watched her a moment, sensing an alarming amount of worry from her. It made him nervous, especially when she of all people was strict when it came to emotions. But he had noticed while getting to know her the past week or so that she had been slipping…like her trust towards him was growing and even she didn't realize it.

And she wasn't the only one who felt that way. Kakashi knew she could feel it from him as well. He noticed that he was constantly searching for her, thinking of her, even studying her eyes when she would look at him for a brief moment. When she was healing his ribs, he enjoyed the sensation of her being so close to him, despite the pain. He sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he thought about confronting her about the tension between them, but his face became warm under his mask. _I never thought this sort of thing would happen to me…but I should lay everything on the table now before anything serious happens. This mission has to come first and I have to get home as soon as possible._ He stopped walking and her ears perked up at the sound of him no longer following her. She turned around and looked back at him, a look of confusion on her face.

"Kakashi?" She asked him, thinking he would answer her and tell her why he suddenly stopped when they had somewhere to be. He looked to the side and bit his lip, trying to form the right words when he caught a glimpse of her expression. Her eyes were glistening and she was frowning, as if much was on her mind. He set aside his feelings and focused on her disheveled aura.

"There's been something on your mind, Ronin." She furrowed her brows and tilted her head slightly to the side.

"This doesn't seem like something important to talk about, especially now of all times." She said, dancing around his observation and making it easier for him to hook on to her. She was revealing her vulnerability, something he wasn't even sure she had. But everyone had a weakness, and he was beginning to form an idea of what hers really was.

"Emotions cloud one's judgment, and you've been stuck in here-" He pointed to his temple "-all day. Even during our little sparring match. I wasn't the only one holding back." She scoffed.

"Please, Kakashi. The only thing I am focused on in the present is what Rukia is up to with the Soul Society and why they want you."

"Why would you care so much that they would want me?" He asked her, backing her slowly into a mental corner. She sensed it and her defenses rose.

"The last thing the Soul Society needs is another power source. I refuse to allow them the power of ninjutsu."

"That isn't why you're doing this…is it? Not really. There is something more important." He took a step forward and to his surprise, she took a step back, her strong gaze beginning to falter. It was his chance to pull out her feelings and compare them to his own. The cards would be on the table soon enough.

"Enough! We have to meet Kisuke at the shop!" She turned on her heels and was about the break into a run, but he was ready for her. With a quick dash, he flew to her side and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. She stumbled in shock and ran into his chest, but immediately tried to pull away, his grip on her frightening her. He wouldn't let go. She looked up into his eye. "Let me go."

"No."

"Kakashi, there could be lives at stake, your life!"

"You care about my life?"

"Yes! Why wouldn't I? I'm not a psycho who just lets others drop dead. I can't do that!"

"Why me? Why save me, a perfect stranger, from drowning in a river. Why put your life and the lives of your friends in danger for the likes of me?" He held her tightly and stared straight into her and she broke, her eyes watering. She stopped her struggling and looked away from his strong gaze, her body slightly trembling.

"Because there's something about you I can't quite shake. I feel like….I know you…like you're home." Her face turned a rosy color and he felt his eye widen. He loosened his grip on her wrist, letting it fall back to her side, but she remained standing close to him. He hesitated, but lifted his hand to her chin and picked up her face. They looked into each other and a tear fell down her cheek.

"You can't hold things like that in forever, Ronin. Even a strong woman such as yourself is only a human in the end." He pulled his mask down and smiled at her and she blinked, another tear falling.

"I can't allow myself to act as a human. Not in this business." She whispered, unbelieving in her own words. He shook his head.

"Every contract has a loophole." He leaned down and slowly brought his face closer to hers, their noses stopping just shy of touching when he paused. She kept her gaze on his and her hands trembled even more.

"Kakashi…I can't…!" He closed the remaining space between them, crushing his lips against hers and kissing her furiously, his hands cupping her cheeks. She kissed him back, tears rolling freely now as they let their emotions collide with one another. Their tongues caressed each other and their faces became heated, their lips swollen as they finally broke apart to stare into one another. Kakashi ran a hand through her hair and leaned his forehead to hers. She twisted her fingers into his silver hair and this time she engaged the kiss and they continued on like that for several minutes until they ran out of breath. Kakashi closed his eye and smiled as he pulled her into a hug.

"Sometimes it feels better to give in." He whispered, his insides flying high. He never thought this girl would ever become so softhearted. But he never thought he was capable of falling for another. She pulled away from his embrace, her face dry of her tears and holding a small smile. He caressed her cheek and she leaned into his touch.

"The Shop…" She breathed, not wanting to leave the moment they had created. He sighed, understanding they couldn't stay like that in the open for very much longer. He nodded at her and they continued walking, deciding that no words needed to be exchanged until reaching their destination. And when they approached the entrance to Kisuke's place, the door flew open and Ichigo's head peered out at them, a scowl marked on his face.

"What took you guys so long?" He glared at Ronin in particular and she returned the expression, making his weaken and fall from his face. She walked him in backwards inside and pushed past the doorway, Kakashi following behind her as Ichigo backed up against a far wall. She was about to say something when Kisuke rounded the corner, a grin on his face.

"'Bout time, love birds." He flashed his teeth but regretted it as a fist smashed into them. Ronin shook angrily.

"Best you mind your own damn business, hmm?" Hat and clogs shivered from the pain and winced, giving off his nervous laughter.

"Well now…I have some important news to share with everything aside." He sat down on the steps of his usual resting place. "Ichigo has with him two teenagers, a boy and girl, who claim to be looking for a Hatake Kakashi." Kakashi looked at him with disbelief.

"Sakura and Naruto…" He stood unmoving and Ronin thought a moment.

"His students." Kisuke nodded.

"Yes…they had with them a photo of you, Kakashi, with each of them in it along with another boy with raven hair." He held out the photo and Ronin examined it, noting it was definitely Kakashi in the photo. She looked at Ichigo, who had settled himself down.

"Bring them out here." He left the room, disappearing behind a corner. Kisuke followed him to help bring them out and Kakashi grew suddenly very antsy. He looked at Ronin and asked her,

"What is Kisuke to you, Ronin?" She bit her lip, the question very random and unrelated to the current situation. She took in a deep breath and answered.

"He's my father." The Hatake stared at her a moment, waiting for her to continue on. She itched the back of her neck and kicked at the floor. "When I had mentioned that I had been brought up with a hard life, I meant it. And it was because of him…Ever since I could walk, he had me handling a sword. When I succeeded, I was praised and rewarded with material things, but when I was deemed a failure at a task…" Her eyes went dark as she remembered her punishments. She clutched at her ribs and Kakashi looked at her mortified, developing the sudden urge to beat the shit out of Kisuke. She kept her story going, taking him off guard a little. "When I turned 8 years old, I had learned everything I needed to survive on my own and I ran away from my father, no longer wishing to train to follow in his footsteps. I ran from the Society, and most of all my own father.

"I went to Yoruichi. She gave me a place to sleep and I performed the rest. When I was 12, I ran into Kisuke one more time and told him that he was no longer my father." She looked at Kakashi and managed to give him a brave grin. He clenched his fists, but relaxed when Ronin held them. Before he was able to speak his mind about what she informed him, Ichigo and Kisuke came back into the room, holding the two young ninja.

Kakashi went directly to them and she sighed, watching as he touched both their faces, checked them over for serious injuries, and began the process of waking them from their exhausted slumber. _If I told you the rest of the story, I'm afraid you wouldn't see him as the kind and caring man that stands before us now. _

…

Ok! End of this chapter! Sorry it took so long to update! Been busy, I have! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! In the next chapter, Ronin will begin the escort back to Konoha to take the shinobi back home, but Rukia attacks and obtains something for an ultimate table turner…Review!


	7. Chapter 7

Afloat in the Water

Chapter Seven

"Sakura, Naruto; wake up." Kakashi called softly to the two teens lying in front of him on the bed. Sakura's eyes opened first, her hand reaching up and rubbing her forehead. She groaned, waking Naruto beside her. As they came to, Kakashi gave a sigh of relief, happy to see they were truly alive. Naruto looked over to him and for a moment, his eyes were empty. The sensei smiled under his mask. "Naruto, are you hurt?" The boy's eyes widened at the sound of his voice and without warming, his arms were around Kakashi's neck painfully tight.

"SENSEI! YOU'RE ALIVE! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT…BELIEVE IT!" He cried out as Kakashi did his best to pry him off from his throat. Sakura had sat up on the bed and was grinning from ear to ear, color returning to her cheeks.

"Kakashi-sensei!" She exclaimed. He had succeeded in removing Naruto and setting him down onto his feet as she came crashing into him, making him lose his balance. He chuckled at their glee as they calmed down a little. Sakura looked up into his eye. "We've been searching everywhere for you ever since we escaped from the village." Kakashi put a hand on each of their shoulders.

"The village. Has there been any word from anyone?" The teens both shook their heads, silent as they thought of the home that had been destroyed before their eyes. But a loud growl filled the air as Naruto clutched at his stomach, his face becoming pale.

"I'm…really hungry." Sakura bonked him on the head with as much strength she could muster.

"You twerp! We finally find Kakashi-sensei and all you can think about is food?"

"I can't help it! We haven't eaten in days!" The two bickered, leaving their teacher standing over them with a bead of sweat running down his brow. He turned towards Ronin, who had been watching them from the doorway the entire time.

"I'm really sorry about this." He laughed nervously and held his arms up in a shrug. She smiled.

"I can fix that for you." She offered, making Kisuke quiver behind her as he walked up to the room to see what had come of the ninjas. He opened his mouth to intervene, but she put her hands on her hips and bellowed, "SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Naruto and Sakura both jumped up, speechless at the woman hovering above them. She smiled at them and Kakashi's bead of sweat became larger. "Guys, why don't you stop bickering and introduce yourselves." He suggested to them, hoping Ronin would say nothing more to scare them.

"Uzumaki, Naruto at your service!"

"Haruno, Sakura. Nice to meet you." Ronin stood up straight and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm Ronin. Nice to meet you both as well." Naruto blinked, a dumbfounded expression crossing his face.

"Wait, isn't Ronin a-"

"Kid, you should stop right now while you still breathe." Ichigo suddenly intervened as he burst into the room to stop the blond from making a grave mistake, Ronin twitching as she eyed him. "Hat and clogs, we need to figure out how to get these ninja away from the Soul Society." The Urahara's face grew dark under his green and white striped hat.

"Well that would be why we're here. We're sending them home tomorrow night. All we need is a way to do so. The biggest issue will be remaining undetected." Kisuke spun his cane in his hand as Ronin looked between Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi. Kakashi's eye was glazed over, lost in thought. Ichigo was staring at Ronin, his eyes holding a question towards her. She looked away from everyone and let out a breath of air. She glared at her hands and tried to suppress her trembling.

"What do we do about Kuchiki and Abarai?" Ichigo flinched at the mentioning of Renji.

"I'll take Renji. He's _mine._" Her eyes darkened at his answer.

"It's not them in particular I'm worried about. It's the reapers they inform. Surely they will be crawling everywhere day and night."

"Then we fight." Ichigo countered, clenching his zanpakto tightly. She shook her head.

"No. We need to have stealth. Sakura and Naruto's path is probably already marked by spiritual energy. So that leaves us one path back to Konoha." She looked at Kakashi and he caught on to what she was getting at.

"The river." She nodded.

"The water is cleansing. It will make our footprints untraceable. It's why you weren't found by them when you were afloat. It's our best chance to your freedom." Kisuke put his hand under his chin and stroked his whiskers, his eyebrow raising. Kakashi avoided eye contact with his comrades and Ronin found herself doing the same, but everyone's eyes were upon them. Hat and Clogs finally nodded.

"This could actually work. But one with powers of the enemy will have to tag along with the shinobi. Ronin, you are the one with the most qualifications for such a task. You know that river like the back of your hand and could take them straight home." Ronin looked at her father a moment before meeting Kakashi's gaze. He looked back at her and saw concern in her oceanic blues as her fists clenched. He tensed.

"Something's coming." He gave her another glance and felt his face lose color. She looked at Kisuke.

"There's no time. We cannot wait for tomorrow, we have to start moving now."

"…Alright. Get ready and quickly. Ichigo, you hold off our little guests. I'll join you as soon as I can. Ronin, help them move along and conjure Ken for guidance." The order made Ronin twitch. Conjuring half of her zanpakto was dangerous. It meant giving up her human body and losing the advantage of strength if a fight were to break out. She had no choice but to conjure Kasai as well to ensure better protection. _I will have to fully dissolve my body this time. What a drag…_ She sucked in some air and ran a hand through her hair.

"Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, follow me to the river. It's time to go." Ronin began to move as fast as her legs could carry her, gaining the feeling that leading the nins home would not be as easy as all were planning.

. . .

Kakashi watched as Ronin faced the cold water with her eyes closed and her thoughts racing. Her face was twisted with conflicting emotions; worry, sadness, anger. He took in a breath and stepped forward, putting a hand on her shoulder, ignoring the fact that his students were watching him. Ronin opened her eyes and turned her head to look up at him. "You don't have to do this." He said with a low voice. She narrowed her eyes.

"Who said I had to? I _want_ to." She admitted, glancing down at his hand resting against her skin. She reached up to his mask and pulled it down, managing a quick smile. "I promise you that you and your team will return safe to Konohagakure."

"Ronin…" She silenced him then, leaning up and brushing her lips on his. He kissed her back, wishing the world could just disappear and leave them be, but she broke their compassion and pulled his mask up, caressing his face before allowing her hand to drop to her side. She faced the river again and pulled out her sword.

"Kasai-Ken." She whispered, running her hand over the blade. Kakashi stepped back and joined Naruto and Sakura as they watched her body dissolve, in her place the woman and the dragon perched on her shoulder. Naruto jumped back in surprise, while Sakura stared amazed.

"That wasn't a jutsu…was it?" Kakashi shook his head.

"This is a whole other realm of energy." He replied as Kasai smiled at them all, her eyes reflecting determination.

"We meet again, Hatake, Kakashi. And this time I have the privilege to meet your team as well." She nodded at each of them. Naruto blinked.

"You look just like Ronin!"

"I am a part of Ronin. Now, are we ready?"

"Yes." The three said in unison. She nodded again.

"Beware of reapers. They will stop at nothing to obtain your ways of the shinobi. They cannot have it." Sakura stuck out her upper lip.

"I thought they wouldn't be able to find us."

"The water will throw them off, but they will figure it out soon enough. That is how Ronin was able to sense Kakashi in the river weeks ago. The water was adapting his energies and combining with it." She patted Ken on the head, making the dragon chirp. "There is no more time to waste. Let's go." With that, she began to run a top of the water, Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura following behind. They paced themselves, wanting to keep their strength saved. Kakashi dropped back behind his cell members, wanting to protect them from any possible danger. Kasai led them, Ken flying above. He stared at the dragon and back to Kasai. _I wonder how strong they really are…_

"We hold the same strength as Ronin, but our agility is increased in this form." She answered his thoughts. He shuddered, feeling the breeze sweep up around them. The water was growing colder.

"If you hold the same power, why take another form?"

"Once the soul is freed from the body, powers become endless. Spiritual energy is our greatest tool…Kakashi, you're growing pale." She said suddenly, making an alarm go off inside of him. They had been running for just an hour and already something was terribly wrong. He heard a slight trickle of water that didn't match their splashing footsteps and he lunged forward, grabbing Sakura and dodging a body that sprung up from the water. He winced, feeling something snag his shoulder and drawing blood. The group stopped running and Kasai cursed, colliding with the newcomer. "Rukia!" She shouted, dragging the reaper down into the water away from her new friends. _Catch her in the stomach, it's her weak spot,_ came Ronin's voice in her head. Kasai inwardly nodded and followed her soul's words.

Kasai watched as Rukia was suddenly blown back by Kakashi, whom was clutching his shoulder. She swam to him, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him to the surface. Breaking it, they climbed back on top of the water's surface, Rukia nowhere in sight. She ran a hand through her hair, watching as Sakura and Naruto held kunai in their hands and eyed the waters cautiously. "How did she find us so soon?" Kakashi stumbled forward slightly, but caught himself. He shook his head and looked at their path ahead.

"We have to keep going." He said gruffly. She looked at him, Ronin's concern beginning to fill her mind. He looked at her and waited. She began to run again, faster this time and they followed, their eyes searching for the woman responsible for the chaos. Kasai furrowed her brows. _If she's here, than something happened at the shop._

_Let us hope everyone's alright._ Ronin spoke in her mind. _Kasai, you must heal Kakashi's shoulder. He;s hiding the damage._

_There is no time to stop. He should be alright for a while._

_Kasai!_

_Enough, Ronin!_ Kasai looked up at the dragon above her head. "Ken, do you mind drying us off while we run?" The dragon swooped down in front of the group and blew a fierce rush of warm air at them, drying them all instantly. She smiled. "Thank you." She glanced back at Kakashi and watched as he clutched at his new wound, his hand trembling. _Not good._

. . .

Rukia ran back to the Urahara Shop, a vial of blood clenched in her fist. She smiled maliciously. "We will have him soon enough, dead or alive."

. . .

End of Chapter Seven! I hope the suspense is good for a while. I will be updating sooner than this last time. I haven't been home in about a month, but now that I'm back in the swing of things, more writing can get done. Review!


	8. Chapter 8

Afloat in the Water

Chapter Eight

It was roughly 3 AM and the winds grew bitter, blowing around the water and the ninjas and reaper running across it. The previous attack had worried Kasai and they had sped up, but she noticed Kakashi was looking fatigued. Naruto and Sakura were alert and looking for any danger, but their sensei was cloudy-eyed and looked as if he was having a hard time commanding himself to move at their fast pace. His face was as white as snow and sweat was dripping off his brow. _Kasai, please heal his shoulder. You can figure out what's going on, then._

_Ronin, we cannot afford to stop right now. We don't know how close any of the reapers could be at this point. One more blunder and we could all be done for!_

_And if Kakashi is already this injured we're screwed anyway. Heal him!_

_No! He will be fine!_

_Alright, then _I'll _do it!_ Kasai gasped, looking up at Ken as he chirped nervously. She looked more closely at him and realized that his eyes were no longer the dark red, but a crystal blue. She scowled.

"Cheater!" The dragon stuck its tongue out at her and flew to Kakashi, landing on his injured shoulder. Kasai sighed, slowing down to a stop. "Alright, since Ronin is a stubborn fool, we will stop for no longer than five minutes. Understood?" The teens nodded and Kakashi flinched as Ronin (in dragon form) began to heal his shoulder. A pair of claws laid against the wound and it began to glow, catching Sakura's eyes. Her jaw dropped as she watched.

"No way! That's ninjutsu!" Kakashi closed his eye and chuckled.

"Ronin may have been raised as a soul reaper, but she found the art of the shinobi and taught herself its ways to make herself stronger. And has done a good job, I might add." He smiled at the dragon and she began to purr, but Kasai glared.

"Ronin, give Ken her body back! You're not supposed to be out here!" She growled, but her face twisted into a shocked scowl. "Ronin!" Suddenly, she and Ken were gone, Ronin standing next to the Hatake, her hands still on his shoulder.

"How does it feel?"

Fine, now. Thanks." He said gruffly. Ronin put her head down, her bangs falling in front of her eyes as she became lost in thought. _This is no good. Those bastards have something planned and it has something to do with Kakashi's blood. It would explain why no one else has attacked….I really hope it isn't for what I think it is._ She lifted her head back up and watched Kakashi's eyes graze over the water in thought. She frowned. _He knows something isn't right, either. _

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura said suddenly. Kakashi broke out of his thoughts.

"What is it, Sakura?"

"How long do you think you were afloat in the water?"

"I'm guessing at least six days. I can't really remember. Between trying to keep conscious and the pain from my wounds, I lost count…" He went silent, his hairs on the back of his neck standing up. Ronin looked at him in alarm when she felt it too. "Ronin, something's coming."

"A hollow. Damn it!" The energy began to grow and the air began to shift. She pulled out her zanpakto and Naruto jumped back as the blade stopped just shy of his nose.

"Hey, watch where you point that thing!"

"Shut it, Naruto!" She hollered. She took her fighting stance as the water began to violently ripple. Naruto and Sakura did the same, having no idea what was going on. Kakashi dashed backwards, the water parting where he once stood. She gripped her sword tighter.

"Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, please leave this to me. I'll catch up with you in a few minutes." Kakashi glared at her.

"We can help!"

"No! Your goal is to get home safely! Now, GO!" Kakashi flinched at her words and thought about when he said the same thing to Naruto and Sakura just weeks ago. He looked back at his students and took in a breath.

"Naruto, Sakura, let's move!"

"Right!" The hollow rose above the water, letting off its hideous call and Ronin prepared to attack. She increased her spiritual energy, keeping the hollow's attention on her. She than lunged, slicing it cleanly in half and landing back on her feet. But she had a feeling it was far from over.

"Ok, that was too easy." She glanced behind her, another hollow appearing out of thin air and another in front of her. She smiled. "Oh my. I see we've attracted more than a reaper's attention."

. . .

Kakashi pushed the teens forward as the screams of the hollows echoed from behind them. Every bone in his body told him to turn around and help, but he couldn't endanger his team. _"Your goal is to get home safely!"_ Ronin's words echoed in his mind and he growled, knowing it was true. He knew better than to get emotionally involved with anyone, but it was too late. But he had to focus. He had to lead everyone home. He glanced behind him and clenched his fists as four more Hollow's screamed. Naruto gave a small roar. "Kakashi-sensei, we should be fighting! Why are we running away like cowards?"

"Sometimes a shinobi has to accept a battle he can't fight and do the next best thing. Besides, Ronin has it under control." He assured. Sakura jumped in, her words surprising him.

"Sensei, do you _love_ her?" He opened his mouth, but instead of answering her with something witty, he flinched, hearing a twig break.

"GET DOWN!" He shouted. Suddenly, three soul reapers jumped out from the forest surrounding the water and attacked, their zanpaktos drawn and pointed at them. Naruto was blown back with the hilt of a sword and Sakura used her massive strength and punched one out by sending him flying into a tree. Kakashi made a hand sign, thinking _Kage Bunshin!_ Making three doppelgangers, he pulled Naruto up from the ground and began to run, Sakura following beside him. His clones made sure the reapers were down and out. As the jutsu dispersed, he sighed. "They must have been new to the reaper thing. They weren't nearly as strong as the ones before." Sakura shivered.

"But they're gonna get stronger, aren't they?"

"Yes, Sakura. Which is why we keep going…Erk!" He doubled over a little, his feet stumbling over one another.

"Sensei!" Naruto shouted, but Kakashi quickly regained his footing and picked up speed.

"Nevermind, we have to keep moving!" He glared at the path ahead of them. _What the hell was that pain in my chest? What did that soul reaper do to me?_

. . .

"This is totally OUT OF CONTROL!" Ronin killed the 34th hollow and watched as three more appeared before her. She twitched with frustration. _Damn it all, where are they all coming from?_ Killing the three newcomers, she watched 13 more appear and groaned. She gripped her zanpakto, slicing through four of them at the same time in the blink of an eye. As she readied to attack more, a blue streak of light made her stop in her tracks and the rest of the hollows dispersed. She stared wide eyed. "A Quincy?"

"Don't sound so surprised, Ronin." Ronin whipped around and found a smile spreading across her face. Behind her was a girl of her age. She wore her black hair with ice-blue tips down on her shoulders and her Quincy uniform was black. She smiled at Ronin.

"Arashi! When did you become a part of this?"

"Since you became lazy! What is it I hear you have a new fling? Not telling your best friend can come back to bite you in the ass!" Arashi shouted, shooting an arrow through another three hollows. Ronin lunged at a separate hollow and laughed.

"I was going to tell you, I swear! I've just been busy!" She exclaimed. The Quincy shook her head.

"Who are you and what have you done with Ronin? The girl I know would not expose her spiritual energy for a guy! You know where love starts and ends, right?"

"In your head and out your ass, yeah, yeah, who are you my mother?"

"Haha…so how have you been?" She asked as her bow disappeared. It seemed the siege of hollows was done for the time being. Ronin sheathed her sword and hugged her friend as her dark eyes gave her a look over.

"Not too bad. Just returning some ninjas to their homeland before the Soul Society gets their dirty hands on them." Her friend's dark eyes grew even darker.

"Then we must hurry. I sense more hollows. Not to mention the reapers are picking up on you, so it might be best to continue our conversation while moving."

"Right." The two teens began to run as fast as their legs could carry them towards team Kakashi. Ronin glanced at her long-time friend. Arashi and her met when she had run away from Kisuke and they trained together, learning the art of the ninja together to become stronger in their chosen paths. It had been a long time since she'd seen her and knew there must have been an abundance of energy for her to show up in Quincy form.

Ronin spotted the running ninjas and easily caught up to them. Hollows were surrounding them and her and Arashi nodded at one another. "Kakashi!" Kakashi looked back and spotted her and Arashi and grabbed the two teens next to him and lunged to the shore. Arashi held her bow and shot three arrows with massive speed, eradicating the ghostly beasts and joined the group on solid ground. Ronin smiled as her friend blew steam from her glove. Kakashi looked to her then, catching her attention. A tired grin put a crease through his mask.

"You finally caught up."

'Did you think I left you guys?" He chuckled, about to reply, but Arashi cleared her throat.

"More hollows are coming. We can't stay here for long." The now five member group moved back to the water. Kakashi ran beside his newfound love.

"Who is she?"

"Her name is Arashi. She's what we call a Quincy, an enemy to Soul Reapers from the Society. She's one of the last of her kind and my dearest friend." He nodded, about to ask what a Quincy was when an arrow pierced a flying hollow above them. Ronin chuckled nervously. "Geez, girl, you're gonna make me more wanted than I already am!"

"Then be more careful!"

. . .

Dawn began to break on the third day of running and the group had passed the halfway marker to their journey. The sky gained a pinkish hue as it faded to a cream sickle orange. Searching for enemy energies and sensing none, Ronin felt it was safe enough to rest. She steered everyone off the river into a bushy area of the forest. As the teen ninjas plopped down and caught their breath, she cast a barrier to hide their energies. When she felt they were decently hidden, she turned and joined the group, watching as Naruto fell to his back and heaved in gulps of air. Arashi leaned against a nearby tree and closed her eyes, entering a meditative state of mind. Kakashi jumped up in a tree and peered out around their surroundings, the visible skin on his face deathly white. Arashi peeked open her eyes and saw her friend jumping up in the tree and sighed. _Those two, huh? Hmm._ She smiled.

Ronin sat down next to the Hatake and gave him a look over, worry etched on her eyes. "You look worn, Kakashi." She didn't bother to hide the concern in her voice and he blinked slowly.

"…Traveling like this should be a breeze for me…" He wheezed, sweat dotting his face. He began to pant and she noticed him trembling as he tried to hold himself up.

"Kakashi, are you still with me?"

"Starting to get…blurry…" He grimaced, his shoulders shaking violently. She wrapped her arms around him and brought him back down to the ground. As she laid him out on his back, he began to writhe in pain, doing his best not to scream, but could not stop his yelps of pain. She ripped open his shirt as the others took notice and she punched the ground.

"FILTHY BASTARDS!" She screamed. Arashi rushed over.

"What is it?" Ronin cringed as she tried to calm herself down, anger flooding through her as she finally understood why the jonin was struggling with the simple task of running. In his chest was a black, gaping hole, his life chain protruding from the middle.

"They're turning him into a hollow."

. . .

End of chapter. There's roughly three chapters left to go, but I may add another one on the end because the way I ended the story originally, I don't like it. Review!


	9. Chapter 9

Afloat in the Water

Chapter Nine

"They're turning him into one of those creepy ghosty things?" Naruto exclaimed. Arashi kneeled down next to Kakashi and put her hand next to the hole in his chest. She grimaced as he screamed out, his pain becoming visibly worse. Ronin pulled out her zanpakto and ran her hand over it.

"Kasai-Ken." The sword gained its double edged blade, one half of it glowing and forming the dragon. She looked her in the eyes and quickly spoke to her. "Find Kisuke, tell him what's going on, and don't get caught doing so!" Ken chirped and was gone in the blink of an eye, flying at top speed. She turned to her friend. "Arashi, I need you to keep a good eye out for me. We're not going anywhere until this is reversed."

"Right. You two! You're going to help me keep an eye out for danger!" Naruto and Sakura looked at her with confusion and worry in their eyes, concern for their sensei apparent. Ronin pushed them towards the Quincy hastily.

"Just go with her. I can watch him." She kneeled back down next to him and ran a hand down his hot, sweaty face. She pulled his headband off and winced at the sight of his eyes rolling into the back of his head before he squeezed them shut. She grabbed his hand and spoke in a gentle voice. "Hold on, Kakashi."

. . .

Kisuke wiggled his nose as he stared down at the unconscious Renji, whose chest was bleeding out onto his floor. Wiping his own blood from the corner of his mouth, he smiled. "Jinta, Uryuyu!" The two children he called came out from underneath the nearest table, calm as could be. "Please take him somewhere and tie him up good so he doesn't escape." He ordered joyfully.

"Right."

"Whatever." Kisuke watched as the two easily picked up the beaten soul reaper and disappeared into another room. He wandered outside to the river's edge and sat down, pushing his hat down farther on his head.

"Three days is a pretty good amount of fighting for a Lieutenant. He would actually go far if he wasn't so pigheaded." He sighed and looked over the glistening water, admiring how peaceful it seemed despite everything going on around it. But something began to catch his eye the longer he stared at it. A ripple in the clear liquid made his eyes travel upward.

Ken stared down on him while holding herself up in the air with the gentle flapping of her wings. He stared into her eyes as she chirped numerous times and cringed, turning back to the shop. _Damn!_ "Tessai!" A big, black man came running up to him as soon as he was called.

"Sir!"

"We need a reversal spell, code red!"

"Code red…on it!" He dashed off, his speed unimaginable for his size. Kisuke felt his eye twitching.

"Damn that Soul Society." He went into the back storage room, finding Uryuyu and Jinta poking at Renji's face, only stopping when they realized he had entered the room. "Code red!" The two jumped up and scrambled for the right equipment as he stumbled to his own room where Ken had perched on a coat hanger. She stared at him with hollow eyes, seemingly glaring at him. He shrugged. "What?"

Ken jumped off the rack and in an instant, Kasai was in her place, her eyes flaring. "He's getting worse. We figure he's been hiding the first stages. You have less than 72 hours to get there."

"How much time can he last?"

"24 hours if he's lucky."

"Shit…" Kasai shivered.

"Ronin, damn it…I've run out of time, her energy is off balance with worry." She began to fade and he gritted his teeth, having to ask one more question.

"Kasai…does she really…_care_ for this guy that much?" She hesitated, but nodded her head.

"Just hurry." And she disappeared with a streak of light in the shape of a silver dragon wing.

"Hey boss!" Jinta's head poked around the doorway of the room, Uryuyu's above his. "We're ready." He nodded at them, Tessai walking into the room next.

"Tessai, we have 24 hours. Let's move." Tessai nodded, turning around and revealing the large weapon strapped to his back.

"Sir!"

. . .

Ronin dipped a clean cloth in the water and rung it out before placing it on Kakashi's already damp forehead. He was running a high fever and his breathing had become severely shallow. Every so often he would begin convulsing in pain and it took everything she could to calm him down. He was putting up a good fight, but she was unsure as to how long he could keep going. "How is he?" Arashi said as she kneeled down next to her.

"He's fighting. High fever, convulsions…I'm surprised he hasn't started the transformation yet. His chain is on its last two links." Ronin blinked her tired eyes, trying to keep calm and concentrated. The transformation could happen in three ways. A spirit can be attacked by a hollow, the chain of fate can be summoned, or a spell can be cast. Of all the three methods, the spell was the cruelest, providing the most pain to the victim. It restricts any mobility, rendering the victim helpless until the change occurs. And the only way to stop it was with a reversal spell.

Arashi put a hand on Ronin's shoulder. "Kisuke will make it."

"I hope so." The reaper whispered. Arashi looked back at the teen nins and removed her hand.

"I'm going back. It's been too quiet and I'm getting worried. Something's coming." Ronin held up her hand to stop her.

"No, you stay here. I'll keep watch with them."

"Ronin…"

"You've done so much for me, already. Just sit with him." Ronin stood and walked over to the river's edge where the two shinobi stood. She examined their expressions, frowning at how down they appeared to be, and at the fear in their eyes. "Sakura, Naruto, why the long faces?" She knew it was a stupid question, but she had a feeling they would give the right answer.

"This is all our fault." Naruto said with a hushed voice. 'We could have prevented this." Sakura stood with her head down, not saying a word. "If only we had just helped him back at the village instead of letting him go." Ronin approached them, bringing their eyes up to hers. Sakura opened her mouth the continue the story and she listened, wanting them to get everything out in the open.

"When the mist village took over, we couldn't do anything but retreat. Kakashi-Sensei led us to the farthest point outside of the village when we were suddenly ambushed…he kept telling us to run, to get to safer ground, but we stayed close by. He was already out of chakra when a kunai struck his chest.

"We carried him into an abandoned building and I looked over his wound and told him it was too deep for me to heal. Not where we were…" She trailed off and Naruto picked up the rest of the story.

"He told us to get to the sand village and we left him there. We turned around while we were running and saw him heading to the river. We should have stopped him or made him follow us." His head fell back down to his chest as he shook with the guilt he felt. Ronin sighed.

"Guilt's train has no time to be boarded right now, guys. You shouldn't feel this way." They looked up at her with tear filled eyes and she gave a tired grin. "You were following your sensei's orders…I'm aware of a policy of shinobi that you should help your fallen comrades, but Kakashi already claimed that role. He was trying to keep you two safe and if you had gone back, I don't think any of you would have survived. Not only that, but his trust in you would have died with your village because he would have felt like a failure to himself."

Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened as her words were absorbed. She smiled, kneeling down and wrapping them both in a hug. "Stop blaming yourself for the way of the ninja. Life is inevitable, no matter what you do to stop it." As she finished her statement, a twig snapped near her and her eyes fell on the woods surrounding them. She let go of the two ninjas and whipped around, her zanpakto in her hand and drawn out to protect. Sakura gasped.

"It's the reaper from before!" Ronin launched herself then, landing on Rukia's back, her sword to her throat. Rukia swung her own blade to try and fend her off, but it was too late. Ronin called to her zanpakto and watched as Ken appeared, wrapping her tail around Rukia's neck. The dragon then blew fire into her face, causing an immense explosion. Naruto, Sakura, and Ronin were thrown into the shallow part of the river. Ronin growled.

"Damn it…" She coughed, blood dribbling down her chin. As she clutched at her ribs, she realized that Ken's attack had been countered and the dragon had been defeated, her wounds now absorbed. She looked up with one eye closed to see Rukia emerging from the smoke unharmed.

"Hello, Ronin." She smiled and held out her weapon, energy gathering around it, her bankai taking form. She cursed.

"I should have known better than to use Ken against you."

"Correct…" Suddenly, an arrow pierced Rukia's shoulder, releasing the transformation of her bankai. She turned around to see Arashi's gleeful expression.

"Ronin, you better practice more if a man is gonna screw with you this much." She drew back her bow, another arrow aimed for Rukia, who glared daggers.

"Quincy?"

"Damn straight I'm a Quincy!" Arashi released the second arrow, hitting Rukia's opposite shoulder, the reaper falling to her knees. Ronin watched, but felt a shiver run down her spine as the wind picked up. She looked to where Kakashi had been placed to be out of harm's way and felt the color drain from her face. He was beginning to convulse, his chain close to breaking.

"No, Kakashi, don't give in! She'll have the right to kill you! I'll have to-" She faltered, having not thought of the consequences if he really did transform into a hollow. Kakashi screamed, bringing her out of her thoughts when another link finally broke, leaving him with just two. He calmed down, the pain lessening, allowing him to take in raspy breaths of air.

Kakashi felt the pain pass and he cracked open his eyes, regaining consciousness. He looked above him to see Ronin looking down at him, sweat and blood covering her face. He felt his heart clench, wondering what he was missing. He grew worried, despite his own situation, not wanting anymore bad things to happen. Everyone had been through so much already. "Hold on a bit longer, Kakashi. I know you can hold this off for just a bit longer." He closed his eyes, wishing he could reply to her, but he was weak. One word felt like it would bring back the pain and he would lose what grip he had on his humanity. He managed to open his eyes again to see her grimacing from her wounds and stagger away, muttering for him to hold on and be strong. He felt his consciousness leaving him once more and he grew scared that he wouldn't be able to do what she wanted him to.

Ronin watched as Arashi kept Rukia busy, pinning her down arrow after arrow. Time was running dangerously short for Kakashi. The next stage he would enter would be his last. "Come on, Kisuke…"

"Ronin!" Ronin looked back up to see Arashi clutching her bow holding arm, her face distorted with pain and no reapers in sight. She ran to her as she fell to her knees.

"What happened?"

"K-Kenpachi…" She winced, trying to pull herself together. Ronin ran a hand through her blond hair in frustration, making the Quincy scoff. "Damn it, Ronin. It's time you heal yourself and get your act together. Stupid…reaper." Ronin looked into her friend's eyes and scowled at the comment, but knew she was right. Although calling her a 'stupid reaper' was still unnecessary.

Focusing her energy to her wounds, Ronin felt herself heal and turned to face her new enemy hiding in wait to strike. She smiled. "Kenpachi, what a pleasant surprise!" He walked forward out of the gloom and returned the expression with malice.

"Ah, not just me. I brought a friend to come along and play."

"Yer Ronin, correct?" Came the voice of Gin, who appeared next to his comrade. His grin was sharp and bored into her soul and she shivered.

"Ichimaru…" Ronin felt her blood run cold. _It had to be the two captains that almost beat me…_ She tensed, readying for battle as she pulled out her zanpakto. She could beat them. They never beat her. There was only one captain who ever beat her and they didn't even compare to his brutal ways…

"_Get up." A voice called to her as she struggled to pick her head up from the ground. A pool of blood formed underneath of her and she coughed, more of the crimson spewing from her mouth. "I said UP!" a foot collided with her ribs and a sickening crack filled the air. She made contact with a wall of rock, leaving behind an indent in the shape of her broken body. She wheezed violently. "How disappointing. I thought you were a reaper." Ronin looked up with her pain filled blue eyes and stared into her father's. Kisuke looked down on her, disgust in his gaze. She closed her eyes and allowed the darkness to consume her, knowing she would never win._

Ronin stared at the current captains, determination bearing down at her to meet her goal: to beat them…to kill them. Energy emanated around her and she began to glow a rich, dark blue. The captains smiled. Kenpachi gripped his blade with a mocking chuckle. "Looks like the fun is about to begi-"

Suddenly, Kenpachi was on the ground, a deep gash across his chest. Ichimaru stared down at him and blinked.

"Interesting. Flash steps with a touch of chi. Very good." He stepped out of the way as she attacked. "But it will take a lot more than that to get to me."

"Really, now?" Gin turned around and whipped out his weapon, blocking her second attack with a second to spare. She smiled. On his other side was Kasai, her own sword swinging and striking him. He winced, but his trademark grin swept across his bony face. He disappeared and Ronin cursed. "Substitution…"

"Yer right!" Gin threw a punch from behind, throwing her back 40 feet. She wiped the trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth and stood.

"That all you got?"

"Why would you think that?" Ronin and Kasai stood side by side, perfect matches of each other. Gin vanished a moment, reappearing above them. She and Kasai both took a step back, watching as he fell in the water they stood above.

"Ronin!" Kasai shouted. Ronin looked down and immediately wished she hadn't. A breeze blew by her and she quickly let herself fall into the water as her double darted away from her. The real Gin followed her into the water without notice.

Ronin torpedoed to the bottom of the water. Calling Kasai in her mind to rejoin with her, she turned herself around and kicked Gin in the face, sending him flying back up out of the water. _Kasai, we have to end this. I'm having trouble already and he hasn't even used his bankai at all!_

_Are you sure about this? If we fail…_

_We won't fail._

_Even so, you won't make it to Konoha in your given condition._ Kasai was right. Ronin had expelled too much of herself the past few days of travel and it was beginning to show. And although she could heal herself, it was only temporary. Her ribs had already began to throb again and her brow and lip were both bleeding freely.

Aware of her shortening time, Ronin clapped her hands together, her zanpakto between her palms. She concentrated and allowed all of her remaining energy, from mind, body and soul to combine. She opened her eyes, in her mind shouting _Kasai-Ken!_

Above the water, Gin witnessed a flash of light and kicked himself. He was in trouble, but he allowed his smile to widen. Another excuse to fail was fin by him.

Ronin felt her chakras blend together and she began to glow a crimson red. Her hands burned and bled out into the water as her sword lit on fire, the water around her hissing and evaporating. The flames engulfed her and pain seared across her body. She finally closed her eyes, letting herself be taken over by raw power and will.

. . .

Kakashi saw the flash of light as something in the water began to rumble the earth. He rolled over weakly and saw red flames breaking the river's flow. His eyes widened as he witnessed a dragon emerging from the deep, a double edged sword embedded in its front, left claw. He stared in shock. "Ronin…"

"Ninja-dude, hold up!" Came a familiar voice that fast approached. Kakashi coughed and looked up to see Kisuke run to his side and kneel down. "You're in bad shape, buddy." He stared at his life chain as Kakashi choked out a string of words.

"Ronin—ok—happening?"

"What you saw just now is her bankai form. Her sword, being her own soul, combines with every source of energy that can connect with her soul, producing that dragon. Highly effective, but a double edged sword…" The Hatake stared into his eyes with concern as Kisuke put his head down. "She only resorts to using bankai in an extreme emergency. And being injured won't make anything easier."

"What are you implying?" Kakashi rasped, his anger hurting his throat, as well as his whole body. The man before him looked at him sadly.

"If she pushes herself as far as she's willing to…once her bankai is finished, so is she. She'll die." Kakashi looked back at the dragon and saw her eyes quivering with determination. She was weak.

"She can't do that…she-" Pain interrupted him, bursting forth from his chest and he screamed out. Kisuke held him down by the shoulders as he thrashed about on the ground.

"Tessai, ready! Jinta, back up! Uryuyu, the spell!" Everyone hurried to their positions as Kisuke ordered. Uryuyu administered an injection straight into the Hatake's chest and stood back, mumbling unknown words. Kisuke kept his hold on the ninja, hoping they had made it in time. It was gonna be a close call.

As the Jonin battled becoming a hollow, Ronin battled Gin, who was now well battered. She blew fire at him while he clutched at his ribs and he went up in flames. She then moved swiftly, wrapping her tail around him and throwing him as hard as she could into the ground. Gin no longer moved…

Ronin felt her life surging defeat. The fire was gone and her soul weak. She lost balance and fell back into the cold waters. As she sunk down, she transformed back into her human shell, her zanpakto returning to its sheath. She looked up at the surface that grew smaller and smaller as she sank deeper and deeper, a small smile spreading across her face. She closed her eyes, happy that she could at least help Kakashi as far as she did. She felt darkness eat away at her and she allowed it to feed, taking her away from the world.

. . .

….End of chapter…Review!


	10. Chapter 10

Afloat in the Water

Chapter Ten

"Is it over?" Naruto whispered as the water calmed and the night air went silent. Sakura rushed over to Kakashi, whom closed his eyes as a peaceful slumber overtook him. Kisuke sighed and put a hand on the unconscious Jonin's shoulder.

"Your sensei is safe, now. But I recommend you all to keep moving to your village. The reapers will continue to hunt you down." Naruto joined them, and with Sakura, hoisted Kakashi off the ground, his arms over the younger nins' shoulders. Sakura gave Kisuke an admiring look.

"Thank you for saving him." Naruto nodded, but Kisuke's attention was on the now still waters. It had been _too_ quiet for comfort and he knew something wasn't right.

"Hey. Ronin's old man." Arashi stumbled towards them then, clutching at her dislocated arm. He frowned as her lip quivered, doing her best to keep calm in front of the others. "I can't find her. She vanished in the water." A tear escaped and ran down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away, never paying it any mind. She wanted to stay strong. "I will deliver them to their village from here. I will search for her along the way and when I come back as well."

"Thank you, Arashi. Let's move. There's nothing more to be done for now." Arashi watched as Hat and Clogs led his team away into the darkness and took in a deep breath. She turned to the ninjas and collected her emotions, her face hardening.

"Time to move. Try to keep up with me. I'm faster than Ronin." Naruto looked from his Sensei to the Quincy.

"Where is she?" Arashi closed her eyes a moment before turning her back to them. When her eyes opened, they were full of dread for fear of her friend's death.

"We move." The teens exchanged worried glances and they began their last stretch towards their home.

. . .

_Where am I? _She opened her eyes, searching the dark to try and pinpoint her location. She felt disoriented and pain enveloped her entire body. She could feel herself lying on the edge of the river, but she was unsure of what part of the river. She couldn't feel any energies and she groaned, the water's cold temperature making her skin prickly. She tried to move, but her body would not obey.

The waters picked her up and she began to float on the current. She felt her mouth open slightly, catching small gasps of air in between splashes. Darkness was threatening to take her over once more and she fought just enough to call upon her soul. _Kakashi is safe. But you are not, Ronin._ It was Kasai; she could hear the pain in her soul's voice and she knew it wasn't looking good. She thought everything over for a moment before replying.

_None of that matters now, Kasai-Ken. My mission is completed._

_You're giving up that easy?_

_What choice do I have?_ And she let go completely, too weak to hold on.

. . .

"Kakashi." He could hear a small voice calling for him and he felt himself flinching, but his eyes remained closed. He wanted to go back to sleep. It was comfortable in the dark. "Kakashi." He heard it again, and this time he could see the darkness becoming brighter, as if a light was shining over him. "Wake up." He examined the light and found himself reaching for it, his hand outstretched. He suddenly remembered everyone he had left behind when he fell unconscious and was desperate to see them unharmed. His fingers spread out and he reached as far as he could…

"Kakashi!" he opened his eye and Sakura flooded his vision as she hovered above him. Beside her was Naruto and the both of them held a relieved smile on their faces. He let his sight adjust fully and he realized he was lying in a hospital bed in Konoha. Behind the teens were Tsunade and the Quincy that had joined them to their destination home. He studied their expressions a few minutes when suddenly, everything that had happened the last few weeks flooded back into his memory. He bolted up in the bed and gasped, his first thought of Konoha and its condition. The Hokage looked at him.

"Welcome back, Kakashi. I see you've realized where you are. If you're wondering, the village was in complete demolition, but we've been building ever since the battle ended. We lost a lot, but we banded together and first reconstructed the hospital for the wounded." He calmed himself down a little at the news, but his mind swam with questions. He looked at Arashi and watched as she looked away from him, sending him back on alert. _Ronin….where is she?_

"Arashi…" He whispered, but Tsunade stepped in front of the girl and approached him.

"How do you feel?"

"…Where is Ronin?" He ignored her question, wanting to know where she was. He _had_ to know. The fifth sighed and glanced back at Arashi once more before answering his question.

"Ronin is missing, Kakashi. She had been for three days now. Arashi told me everything and we put together a small team in search of her." The Hatake looked away with hurt in his eye, clenching his hands into fists.

"My status?"

"You're healed. Nothing too severe. You can leave at any time. Excuse me. I have to ask Arashi a few more things." Kakashi looked back up and watched as Tsunade took the Quincy out of the room. Naruto and Sakura exchanged glances and the girl nodded her head toward the door.

"Sensei, we'll be outside if you need us, ok?" He didn't answer; instead, he watched as they both left the room, obviously worried about what he was thinking at the moment. He waited for the door to close before reacting. As he heard the latch fall into place, he was out of bed and dressing into his normal attire. 10 minutes later, he was climbing out of the window and jumping down to the ground. He didn't want to face the others. Not yet. He gazed around at the village and heaved a sigh. He wanted to search for Ronin, but he had to focus on helping his village. It was his duty. He stifled his emotions and rushed over to a man lifting a piece of wood much too heavy for him. As the man thanked him, he looked up at the sky.

"Ronin…"

. . .

Arashi walked along the path leading away from Konohagakure. She took slow and sluggish steps, unable to control her emotions. She was tired and distraught about Ronin's disappearance, and was unsure of what to do. No one could find her. Things weren't looking good. She kicked at a stone that was in her way and bit her lip. _We succeeded in our mission to help the shinobi. But we've lost you, Ronin. Why? Why did it have to be you?_ She grew angry, wishing she had done more to prevent her friend's fall from happening. She began to run.

A few more days had passed and word made it back to Konoha that Arashi had made it back to her home. But all hope had been lost for Ronin being found. Kakashi carried an armful of wood into the village for building materials. The forest surrounding Konoha had proven plentiful in materials for restoration, mainly because of the river. He sighed as he reached the abandoned building he had hid in with Sakura and Naruto before plunging himself in the cold water just a short month before.

Setting down his armload, the Hatake went to the water's edge. Kneeling down, he stared at the gathering koi and half-heartedly smiled as they swam around each other, living as if nothing violent had ever taken place. But something caught his attention. The koi noticed too, and bolted away startled. He blinked. Something else was in the water!

Kakashi stood and felt his eye widen in shock as he caught sight of a figure afloat in the water. He threw his vest off and lunged into the water, swimming towards it, all the while knowing it couldn't have been possible, but knew it was her. He grabbed the 19 year old girl out of the water and brought her to shore, turning her over and gasping at the sight of her pale face. "Ronin!" He felt for a pulse, alarmed at how feint it was. He realized she wasn't breathing and quickly began mouth to mouth, desperate to bring her back to him. She had been missing for days, and for her to show up in his village just as he did in hers.

As he breathed air into her lungs and pulled back, she coughed, water spilling over her lips and dribbling down to the ground. He grabbed her face in his hands as her eyes cracked open enough to look at him. He gathered her in his arms and hugged her close, so happy to see her alive. Her breathing became normal and she weakly reached up and grabbed a hand in hers before closing her eyes again. Her grip was strong and his heart fluttered. He picked her up and began to run towards the hospital, knowing she needed medical attention. As he ran, he felt the eyes of the villagers on him and knew they were aware of who she was. But all he could focus on was her tight grip on his hand. She came back to him. She came back.

. . .

Ronin opened her eyes and immediately remembered seeing Kakashi above her. But she couldn't remember when it had happened, let alone if it was real. But she was covered with something and she felt warm and dry. She focused, realizing she was in a bed, a blanket wrapped comfortably around her. She took in a few deep breaths, allowing her brain to process everything around her. She couldn't believe she was even alive. She was sure she died in the water. She had every intention of dying. She had let go. Or at least she thought she did.

She found her hand reaching for her hair and she picked up a strand of it to find a brilliant red streak replacing the blond. She sighed. "I'm gonna die a red-head."

"Ronin…!" Ronin dropped the lock of hair and saw Kakashi in the doorway of the room. He quickly scurried to her side, grabbing her hands in his. It struck her then, where she was and what had happened. The river had carried her to Konoha, and it was Kakashi who saved her this time.

"Kakashi…" He smiled and pulled down his mask, his lips pushing against hers to kiss her softly. She felt the color return to her cheeks and kissed his back. After a moment, he pulled away from her and smiled. His face had also become a few shades darker.

"I thought you would never wake up." He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close, running his hand through her hair. Ronin clung to him, surprised at the turn of events.

"It's alright. I…won't die as easily as you think….what happened? Were you hurt by any reapers? Were you turned into a hollow?" Her voice was hoarse, but she pressed on, wanting to know everything that went on. She felt like she had been asleep for years. He laughed.

"Your father saved me. No attacks. Arashi led us home and held any attacks at bay. I don't remember much, just bits and pieces. What happened to you?"

"I released my bankai, the strongest stage of my sword and evolved myself into a dragon. It was the only way I could have beaten Gin." She frowned. He put his hand on her cheek and they looked into each other a moment. A tear glistened in the Hatake's eyes. Ronin watched the tear fall and she wiped it away. She smiled. "I'm sorry for worrying you…but I'm…back now." She leaned in, kissing his tender lips. His mouth opened in reply and the two of them indulged in their private passion.

. . .

"Are you ready, Ronin?" Kakashi called from outside of her door. She flicked her long hair behind her and stepped out. She finally felt like herself again, and the hospital was allowing her to leave. She watched as Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura stared at her. She was wearing a black tank top and cargo pants styled black capris. On her right arm was revealed the tattoo of a red tailed hawk's tail feather. Her hair was pulled back into a long braid, her bangs framing her face as always. Naruto whistled at her.

"Dang, Kakashi-Sensei, you got a fox!" Ronin scowled at him.

"From what I hear, you're the one who's 'got a fox'." The teen blushed, his lower lip sticking out in a pout as he looked away. Sakura giggled and Kakashi merely smiled under his mask.

"Are you sure you're ready to go back? You can stay for a day or two." He suggested. She shook her head with a small smile.

"No can do, Kakashi. My stay in the human world has been cut extremely short. I have to return to Yoruichi's soon." He nodded in reply, sadness filling his eye. He glanced at his students.

"Let's begin. Remember the concealing jutsu I taught you both. That way we cannot be detected by any outside force."

"Right."

"Got it!"

. . .

Kisuke looked up at the sky with his eyes half closed. He was lying next to the river behind the Urahara shop, wondering if his daughter would ever be found. He worried about her, but would never admit his feelings. Nobody understood what he thought of her, but the truth was that he loved her more than anything. She was his whole world. But nobody else was allowed to know this. It would only cause everyone more trouble, her in particular. If she was alive, that is. "Sure is quiet around here…and boring." He frowned at his words, wishing she was there.

"Perhaps I should find you something to do." Kisuke bolted upright from the ground and looked to the river to see Ronin standing above it, Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto standing behind her. He stood, baffled as she stepped onto the ground and closed the space between them, hugging him close to her. He hesitated, but hugged her back. When they pulled away from each other, he regained his 'Kisuke' composure.

"It's good to have you back, Ronin. Of course I never thought you would give up that easily." She grinned.

"Yes, well I wouldn't have made it without their help. Anymore trouble from the soul society?"

"Surprisingly, no. The head of captains called it off…well except for one small thing." She scoffed.

"Let me take a guess. I'm more wanted now than I was before. They must be thrilled about my bankai form kicking Gin's ass."

"Well…yeah." Kisuke replied, almost resembling a chirp. He nodded towards the shop and she nodded back, but turned around to look at the ninjas behind her. She wandered to Naruto and Sakura and hugged them both.

"Thanks for all the help." She told them. As they smiled and backed away to give her and their sensei privacy, she approached him. She frowned at him, noting his saddened expression. "Don't give me that look Hatake, Kakashi." She smiled, but he couldn't return it.

"And so we go our separate ways?" He asked, but the tone in his voice noted that he already knew the answer. She sighed.

"For the time being, yes. I have to escape from the society so they don't get a hold of me." She paused a moment before pulling down his mask and kissing him hungrily. He returned it and then they looked at each other, their lips swollen. He blinked, feeling something tucked in his right hand. She smiled at him as she caressed his cheek. "I'll find you, Kakashi. Just give me time." With one last kiss, she turned away from him, tears running down her flushed cheeks. He gripped the item in his hand and brought it up to look at it. He smiled. It was a necklace, the charm of a black dragon. He quickly placed it around his neck and tucked it under his shirt.

He watched her follow her father to the Urahara shop, never looking behind her. But he knew she wanted to. She disappeared over the hill and he looked at Naruto and Sakura. "We should head back to the village now. There's much work to be done." Naruto crossed his arms.

"What about Ronin? What's gonna happen to her?"

"She's going to be under the radar for a while, but we'll see her sometime." He saw Sakura smiling and he nodded at her. "Let's get going."

As the shinobi began to leave, Ronin gripped her own dragon charm around her neck and closed her eyes a moment. "Miss your love already?" Came Kisuke's voice. Without opening her eyes, she punched Kisuke in the jaw, sending him flying up against the side of the shop. She sighed.

"Shut it, Hat and Clogs."

"Geez…so stingy." He rubbed his now red cheek and stood back up, heading inside. She followed after him, giving one last look towards the river. The ninjas were gone now, but she knew he was still with her. As she would always be with him. After all that went on, it would be hard not to be. She headed into the shop.

"Time to get back to work."

. . .

…..Le Fin…..That's right. It's over. The last chapter of Afloat in the Water. I hope you all enjoyed it! Please review and as always, thank you for reading my story! : ) Keep checking in on my page for new stories to come!


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